Bright Sword: I am an undercover agent in the puppet army

"What? What did you say?"

Yoshio Shinozuka's face changed instantly. The fall of Shouyang and the annihilation of the gendarmerie are two completely different concepts.

"The locust army of Shouyang Gendarmerie and the Imperial Army of Baoan Camp were all killed by the Eighth Route Army." Toyotomi Jiro repeated it with his head hanging.

"Baga! Damn it! Pass my order, all members of the 1st Aviation Regiment will take off immediately and wipe out the damned Tubalu at all costs!"

Right now the Japanese army in Shanxi is short of manpower and does not even have enough infantry for defense, so the only force that can be dispatched is the air force.

"Hi Yi!"

Chief of Staff Kusunokichi Hideyoshi bowed his head sharply, turned around and left to convey the order himself.

……

Cangyun Town.

Headquarters of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

In the past two days, the Eighth Route Army in the Taihang and Taiyue bases has been active, causing unrest along the Zhengtai Railway which is heavily guarded by the Japanese and puppet troops.

Although Yan Laoxi reached some kind of tacit understanding with Shinozuka Yoshio, he refused to send troops to cooperate in the battle and even withdrew his troops, providing convenience for the Japanese.

However, Yan Laoxi was not simply trying to suppress the Eighth Route Army. Instead, he hoped that the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese army would both suffer losses, and then he would reap the benefits.

Therefore, although he did not send out troops, he was paying attention to the movements here at the moment, and all the intelligence personnel nearby were mobilized.

In addition, after the Eighth Route Army achieved victory, it immediately sent a telegram to the whole country to publicize it. This was not to seek credit from the nominal Second War Zone Commander and the National Government Headquarters, but to boost the morale of the military and civilians across the country and boost their belief in victory in the War of Resistance.

As Yan Laoxi's confidant, Chu Yunfei also received an order at this moment to pay close attention to the movements of the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese Army.

At this moment, Chu Yunfei and Chief of Staff Fang Ligong were talking next to the sand table.

Fang Ligong said: "Commander, the Eighth Route Army has been very active in the past two days. It is said that they have captured more than 100 strongholds along the Zhengtai Railway, especially the strongholds from Shouyang to Niangziguan, which have all been captured.

In addition, even the two county towns of Yangquan and Shouyang were captured by the Eighth Route Army.

I don’t know if it’s true or not?”

Chu Yunfei said with a puzzled look on his face: "These news were announced by the Eighth Route Army themselves, and their authenticity remains to be discussed.

But this time they made quite a big move, and they also chose the right time, just when the Japanese troops in Shanxi were at their weakest."

Fang Ligong said: "This news came from the Communist Party's China News Agency broadcast. It is really hard to say whether it is true or not, but based on the Communist Party's consistent style, this matter is most likely true."

Chu Yunfei thought for a while, narrowed his eyes and said: "The Eighth Route Army launched an attack on the Japanese strongholds almost overnight. Even if it was just a small stronghold guarded by a hundred or so devils and puppet troops, at least a battalion or more troops had to be dispatched."

"That is to say, the Eighth Route Army along the Zhengtai Railway alone had at least more than 100 battalions and more than 30 regiments?
Moreover, according to reliable intelligence, in addition to attacking the Zhengtai Railway, the Eighth Route Army also launched attacks on the Baijin Line, Tongpu Line, Longhai Line, and Pinghan Line.

By this calculation, the Eighth Route Army would have a size of more than 100 regiments.

You should know that when the Eighth Route Army was first reorganized in 37, it only had 3 divisions, 6 brigades, and 12 regiments. Even if a few regiments without numbers were added, there were no more than 15 regiments.

In other words, in just less than three years, the Eighth Route Army's strength has at least increased several times, or even ten times!
The speed at which the Communist Party recruits its troops is truly terrifying. No wonder the Chairman and the General Secretary have always regarded them as a formidable enemy. There is a reason for this.”

Fang Ligong sneered and said, "The Communist Party is used to using brainwashing propaganda to win over the people, so the team has been able to expand rapidly.

However, although their numbers increased, their weapons and equipment could not catch up so quickly.

As far as I know, the Eighth Route Army had to raise funds for its own weapons, food and wages.

This resulted in uneven weapons and equipment among the various troops. Even the main regiments with an organization could not guarantee that each man had a gun, not to mention the miscellaneous troops. Many people could only carry spears and swords, and there was no supply of military uniforms.

What kind of combat effectiveness can such a force have? They are just a bunch of mud-legged people who can't achieve anything. They are not worth worrying about."

"That's not right." Chu Yunfei shook his head: "History has told us countless times that if we underestimate the enemy, we will suffer great losses. Brother Ligong, do you still remember the Eighth Route Army that defeated the Japanese Sakata Regiment head-on in Cangyun Ridge?
Perhaps last time, the Japanese army suffered from being careless and underestimating the enemy.

But what about this time? The Eighth Route Army not only directly captured hundreds of Japanese strongholds of varying sizes, but also captured Yangquan and Shouyang, two counties heavily guarded by Japanese troops. "

"You said the Eighth Route Army is not a concern. If it were the Central Army or our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, would they be able to achieve such results?"

Fang Ligong was stumped by the question. Not to mention the Central Army, if it were the Shanxi Suiyuan Army, they would not even have the idea of ​​counterattacking, so it would naturally be impossible for them to achieve such results.

Moreover, even if their Shanxi-Suiyuan Army launched such a major war, it might be much easier to capture one or several strongholds than the Eighth Route Army, but it would be absolutely impossible to capture so many strongholds at the same time.

Because it is difficult for their Jinsui Army to act in such a unified manner. In other words, the officers of their Jinsui Army all have their own plans.

It is normal to conserve troops, not cooperate with friendly forces in combat, and even betray friendly forces.

After a moment of silence, Fang Ligong said, "The Eighth Route Army simply seized the opportunity when the Japanese army was short of manpower. If the Japanese army was not short of manpower, they would not have achieved such a result."

Chu Yunfei shook his head again: "Brother Ligong, you are too prejudiced and subjective towards the Eighth Route Army.

It is true that the Eighth Route Army seized the opportunity of the Japanese army's lack of manpower, but seizing opportunities is a manifestation of ability in itself.

Why didn't our Jinsui Army seize the same opportunity?"

"This..." Fang Ligong was speechless for a moment.

Chu Yunfei turned his head and looked out the window: "I spend my days singing wildly, and I am arrogant and domineering for whom! Now the battle is in full swing on the front line, and I am really itching to fight."

Fang Ligong's face changed and he said, "Commander, you can't do that. Commander Yan has ordered more than once that without a written order from the commanding officer, we must not cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in combat. Violators will be severely punished!
Just now, Commander Yan reiterated this order again.

If we dispatch troops at this time, we will be committing a crime against the wind, which will inevitably anger Commander Yan."

Chu Yunfei shook his head again, looking quite disappointed: "That's what I said, don't worry, I won't disobey military orders.

However, if we continue to scheme like this and fail to cooperate sincerely, I don’t know when we can drive the Japanese invaders out of the country.

In the end, it is the Chinese people who suffer.”

Fang Ligong remained silent. This time he did not remind Chu Yunfei to be careful with his words, because the words of the regiment commander Chu Yunfei also deeply touched him.

He also knew that Chu Yunfei was a man of firm stance. Even if he sympathized with the Eighth Route Army, he would not disobey military orders to help them, nor would he betray his beliefs.

As expected, after a pause, Chu Yunfei changed the subject and continued, "Based on the strength the Eighth Route Army has shown now, they are not only good at pulling together troops, but their combat effectiveness is also improving rapidly. They will surely become a major threat to the Party and the country in the future.

Therefore, the concerns of the President and the Chairman are not without reason.”

Fang Ligong: "Having said that, for now, the biggest headache should be at least the Japanese army. The Eighth Route Army's actions are so large that they must have attracted the attention of the Japanese army in Shanxi and even the entire North China.

The best proof is that Yoshio Shinozuka just showed goodwill to our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

From this we can see that the Japanese army will definitely adjust its main attack targets from our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Central Army to the Eighth Route Army. In this way, we can take a breath and watch the fight from the sidelines.

By then, both sides will fight to the death, and we can take advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits."

Chu Yunfei changed the subject and asked, "Brother Ligong, do you know why the Eighth Route Army suddenly attacked the Japanese army at this time?" Fang Ligong: "Of course it's because the Japanese army in Shanxi is short of manpower."

Chu Yunfei: "This is just one of them."

Fang Ligong asked again: "Could it be that the Eighth Route Army has grown rapidly and expanded?"

Chu Yunfei: "Anyone can become arrogant, except the Eighth Route Army. Don't they understand the principle of making a fortune in silence?

This time, taking advantage of the Japanese army's lack of manpower in Shanxi, they suddenly launched an attack, which would certainly achieve immeasurable results, but they would definitely suffer a thunderous revenge from the Japanese army.

Moreover, the terrifying strength they suddenly exposed would cause concern to the president and the chairman, and might even lead them to reach some kind of tacit understanding with the Japanese invaders.

This would not be of any benefit to the Eighth Route Army and might even force them into a dead end.

But they did it anyway.”

Fang Ligong was stunned and asked, "Why is that?"

Chu Yunfei cast his eyes on the national map, the Zaoyi area of ​​Hubei: "Now is the most critical moment of the Zaoyi battle. Once the Zaoyi battle is lost again, Hubei will be completely lost to the enemy.

The Japanese army could then split into two routes, one crossing the river from Hubei and heading south, and the other going up the Shuojiang River in Jiangxi to attack Hunan.

Once the Sanxiang area is occupied, the Japanese army can directly attack the southwest region of our country, our last rear area. Once the southwest is lost again, our country will be completely destroyed! "

Chu Yunfei paused, then changed the subject and continued, "So, the Eighth Route Army was willing to expose its strength and arouse the wrath of the Japanese army. In the final analysis, it was still cooperating with the friendly forces in the south."

Fang Ligong: "Cooperating with friendly forces in the Zaoyi battlefield, isn't this a bit too far-fetched?"

Chu Yunfei: "The Japanese army may not withdraw troops directly from the south to support us, but the morale of the army will inevitably be shaken.

On the contrary, our army's morale is low and we urgently need a big victory to boost morale.

One can imagine that if the friendly troops on the Zaoyi battlefield learned of the great victory won by the Eighth Route Army, would their morale be greatly boosted? "

Fang Ligong was stunned.

Chu Yunfei added: "As one side gains strength while the other loses strength, even if our army still cannot reverse the defeat, it will definitely cause the Japanese invaders losses far beyond their plan.

Moreover, this great victory will not only affect the friendly forces on the Zaoyi battlefield, but will also affect the military and civilians across the country, planting a seed of confidence in their hearts.

The Japanese invaders are not invincible. Even the poorly equipped Eighth Route Army was able to defeat them, so why can't they?"

Fang Ligong: "This... maybe this is just a coincidence? Can the Communist Party have such a big plan?"

Chu Yunfei: "Brother Ligong, I say the same thing again. They are not monsters. They are patriots with faith just like us. The difference is that their faith is something we cannot tolerate. This is a conflict between two cultures and it can never be reconciled.

But we also share a common view with the Communist Party, which is that we both uphold the principle of national independence and state sovereignty that must not be violated.

Therefore, their pattern is beyond doubt.

In terms of pattern, they even far surpass our friendly forces in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

Take the example of the Japanese Kasahara Regiment's attack on our regiment's base a few months ago. At that time, the 101st and 102nd Regiments had clearly received orders from the headquarters, but they found various excuses to refuse to send troops.

Instead, it was the Eighth Route Army, which we had always been wary of and hostile to, that sent reinforcements and resolved the crisis.

Moreover, such examples are not accidental, nor are they unique; on the contrary, there are many of them.

Whenever there is an opportunity, the Eighth Route Army will always provide all possible assistance to friendly forces."

Hearing this, Fang Ligong said with some concern: "Commander...you, you..."

Chu Yunfei smiled and said, "I am not a communist, and sooner or later there will be a war between us and the communists, and this war can never be avoided.

Only when you face your opponent squarely and understand him/her with your heart, can you have the possibility of defeating him/her.

On the contrary, arrogance and prejudice will only blind our eyes and make us make wrong judgments..."

As they were talking, the roar of an airplane engine was suddenly heard outside.

The two men walked out of the operations room and looked up, only to see at least 50 planes whizzing through the sky from the southwest. From a distance, it looked like a black mass, which was both spectacular and heart-pounding.

Fang Ligong cried out: "So many planes?"

Chu Yunfei said sternly: "The planes that are too far away should have been dispatched in full force. It seems that the Eighth Route Army really dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders this time, so Shinozuka Yoshio couldn't wait to dispatch all the planes at dawn."

Fang Ligong said with some fear: "Fortunately, they were not coming for us, otherwise it would have been an air raid and our regiment would not have been able to withstand it."

Chu Yunfei smiled and said, "When all the Japanese air forces in Shanxi are dispatched to deal with our regiment, the Japanese invaders will be on the verge of complete defeat."

Fang Ligong: "It seems that the Eighth Route Army is in trouble today."

Chu Yunfei smiled and said, "I don't think so. The Japanese air force is mostly all talk and no action. The Eighth Route Army is not stupid. Why did they choose to attack at night? Isn't it to avoid the Japanese air force?

In this case, they would definitely be on guard against the Japanese air force, and by now they would probably have hidden in the mountains and forests to rest.

Although the Japanese air force made a lot of noise, the threat posed by only a few dozen planes to the mountains and forests covering hundreds of miles was too small, and could even be said to be insignificant.

Could they blow up all the mountains and forests?"

Fang Ligong laughed: "If the Japanese invaders had this strength, not to mention our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, I'm afraid the whole of China would be completely lost."

……

as predicted.

Chu Yunfei's speculation was correct.

Most of the Eighth Route Army had stopped attacking before dawn and hid in the nearby mountains and forests to rest.

Even if some Eighth Route Army troops were occasionally discovered by Japanese fighter planes, they would not suffer much damage.

Because the Eighth Route Army had been bombed by the Japanese for such a long time, they had already summed up rich experience in bombing.

The water turned white, and as long as you didn't panic and didn't stay in the open, the bombing was not as scary as you imagined.

Almost as soon as the Japanese planes were discovered, the Eighth Route Army on the ground responded quickly and ran into the nearby mountains and forests.

If you don't have time, find a nearby shelter to hide, or disperse as much as possible.

In that case, even if the Japs launched a dive-and-strafe attack or a dive-and-bomb attack, it would be difficult to cause too much casualties to the Eighth Route Army.

Moreover, using aerial bombs to bomb individual Eighth Route Army soldiers is too costly.

It was because Shinozuka Yoshio was pushed into a corner this time, otherwise, the Japanese air force would never have done such a loss-making business... (End of this chapter)