Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 102 I Still Want to Improve

Two hours later, in Xiao County, at the 109th Division Command Post, Cang Mao Shuzang hurried in.

“Division Commander, the reinforcements we sent encountered resistance from the Eighth Route Army at Hutan. I’m afraid it will be difficult for them to break through the Eighth Route Army’s blockade in a short period of time.

Should we continue to send in reinforcements?" asked Cang Mao Shuzo.

Although the reinforcements they sent this time totaled nearly 1500 people, it was difficult for them to break through the blockade in a short period of time when facing the New 3st Regiment of nearly people who were defending the dangerous position.

Moreover, even if the assault was completed, it would be difficult to continue the attack on the Xiji stronghold.

At this time, sending additional troops is the only option.

However, after listening to what Kuramao Shuzo said, Yamaoka Shigehisa did not say anything, but just stood up and walked to the window and looked towards the direction of Lijiachuan Ferry.

After a few minutes, seeing that Yamaoka Shigehiro still didn't speak, Kurama Shuzo spoke again: "Division Commander? We..."

"Mr. Kurama, how many troops do you think we should mobilize?" Yamaoka Shigehisa suddenly asked while looking out the window.

Kuramao Shuzo thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to add another infantry battalion."

This is already an understatement of Cang Mao Zhouzang. After all, this unit not only has to break the Eighth Route Army's resistance at Hutan, but also has to recapture the Xiji stronghold.

According to intelligence, there are now more than 4500 Eighth Route Army soldiers in the Xiji stronghold, and they are fully equipped with light and heavy weapons. This is definitely the main force of the Eighth Route Army.

"Mr. Kurama, the strength of two infantry battalions plus one cavalry battalion may not be enough." Yamaoka Shigehiro held a different opinion.

It's not that the two battalions of troops cannot fight the enemy, but it is unlikely to recapture the Xiji stronghold in a short period of time.

"The New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army in the direction of Hutan will definitely not sit idly by and watch our army attack Xiji at will. They will definitely cause trouble behind the locust army, which means we must have a force to keep an eye on this New Regiment.
The combat effectiveness of the New Second Regiment of Dayun Mountain is extremely strong. With the strength of one infantry battalion and one cavalry battalion, it would probably take four or five days to repel it, even with the support of mountain artillery.

But we simply don’t have that much time.”

If they were conducting a mopping-up operation now, Yamaoka Shigehou would not be worried at all. With the strength of a battalion, as long as they avoided an ambush, they would be able to compete with the 4500 people of the New Second Regiment.

But the time taken for this new second group is really disgusting.

If the 109th Division wants to obtain supplies, it must recapture the Xiji stronghold as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, the baggage train will have no choice but to take a detour. If the baggage train takes a detour and then recaptures the Xiji stronghold, it will be too late.

If they take a detour through Ping'an County and Shuiquan in the north, they will have to pass through several areas of hostile forces, and it is still unknown whether the baggage train can arrive safely.

Going south around Liangcheng does not require passing through the enemy's territorial zone, but the distance is more than 600 kilometers. By the time the baggage train arrives at Lijiachuan, the 109th Division would probably have been defeated by the Eighth Route Army due to lack of food.

However, if they want to defeat the New Second Regiment head-on while it is defending the dangerous position, the current strength is insufficient.

"Then do we need to send the 69th Regiment?" Kuramao Shuzo stopped talking halfway through his words.

Kuramao Shuzo realized that what he said was probably nonsense. The 109th Division had only four infantry regiments, and all four regiments were fighting on the front line.

The infantry battalion and cavalry battalion sent out earlier were already the last mobile forces of the 109th Division. Even if he just said to send another battalion, it would have to be drawn from the front line.

This is the limit of the 109th Division. If the 69th Regiment is withdrawn, the enemies in front of it will be free to attack, which will be even more troublesome.

Kuramao Shuzo didn't know what to say now.

Without withdrawing troops, the Xiji stronghold cannot be recaptured in a short period of time.

However, if troops were withdrawn, the enemy forces in the front would be loosened. Once the 109th Division was attacked from the flank or surrounded from behind, it would be even more troublesome.

Now, the stubborn one has become blocked at both ends.
The 109th Division headquarters fell into silence.

After a while, Yamaoka Shigehou said, "Kuramo-kun, I'm afraid we can't cross the Yellow River this time."

In fact, Shan Gang Shigehou had already wanted to quit.

During the past few days, the 109th Division did not gain any advantage in the battle with the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army continuously dispatched troops to secretly march to the flank of the 109th Division, and then waited for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Although the casualties each time were not large, only a few dozen to one or two hundred people, the frequency was high, sometimes there could be several times in one night.

The telegrams he sent to the First Army Headquarters had been requesting reinforcements, but now the North China Front Army was preparing to attack Wuhan, and even the Shanxi First Army had its troops withdrawn. This meant that even if Taiyuan wanted to support the 109th Division, it had no troops to send.

Without reinforcements, the 109th Division could only push for a long time to cross the Yellow River to the west, see if it could find a loophole in the opponent's defense, and then launch a surprise attack across the river.

But this is actually a gamble, after all, no one knows when the other party will make a mistake.

If possible, Yamaoka Shigehisa did not want to waste his energy on the Eighth Route Army. He would rather go to the southern front of China, which was a good place to make achievements.

There is no future in continuing to stay in Shanxi and play whack-a-mole with the Eighth Route Army.

Shigehisa Yamaoka still wants to make progress.

Xiji stronghold, temporary headquarters of the new 2nd Regiment.

"report!"

"come in."

"Commander, Political Commissar, the brigade headquarters has sent the latest order!" the communicator reported.

Chen Chengxing took it and looked at it, then said with a smile: "Lao Luo, our plan was successful. The brigade commander said that the 109th Division showed signs of retreat, so we should be on the lookout and evacuate the Xiji stronghold at any time."

"Really? So smooth?" Luo Ping was a little surprised.

Although the Xiji stronghold is of vital importance, it is not necessary to force the entire 109th Division to retreat.

"Hehe...I'm afraid there's something we don't know about."

"Also, the brigade commander's letter wrote that the 20th Division that attacked the Yellow River crossing in Lu'an also retreated. The division commander fought a beautiful battle and killed most of the 20th Division's regiment." Chen Chengxing said.

"This way, northern Shaanxi will be safe." Luo Ping said excitedly.

"Then when will we return to Dayun Mountain?" Luo Ping asked.

"The brigade commander's request is that the main force of the new second regiment should not return to Dayun Mountain, but move to the Wangshan Town area." Chen Chengxing said.

"Move west to Wangshan Town? Are we going to attack the county town?" Luo Ping asked somewhat puzzled.

Xiao County is further west of Wangshan Town. Although the Japanese 109th Division began to retreat from Xiao County, they would not attack the county town, right?
The loss would be huge, and it's unnecessary. "Haha. It's unlikely to be a county town." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

"But our brigade commander is not one to suffer losses. This time, we had a few moves with the 109th Division in Lijiachuan, and the entire brigade must have suffered heavy losses."

"I guess he is targeting Shenkou Town." Chen Chengxing said.

When the 109th Division retreats, they will most likely take the route to the Xiji stronghold. As long as the 386th Brigade follows it all the way, they will be able to surround Shenkou Town.

Since the 109th Division retreated so decisively, there was absolutely no way it would take risks for the Imperial Army. After all, they did not have much supplies left.

So even though there is a division of troops in northwest Shanxi now, Shenkou Town is isolated and helpless. Now is a good time to wipe out this group of puppet troops.

As long as they can wipe out this group of security forces, the 386th Brigade will be able to have a full meal.

More than 2000 security forces are enough to restore the health of the 386th Brigade.

"Lao Luo, I will only take the direct troops and three main battalions to participate in the collective combat this time. You can take the regiment headquarters and the guerrillas back to Dayun Mountain." Chen Chengxing suggested.

This time, the New Second Regiment seized a lot of things. At the Xiji stronghold, they seized 3000 bags of rice alone, which should have been transported by the Japanese from the Northeast.

The New Second Regiment cannot carry all the supplies in large and small bags to go to war, so dividing the troops is the only option at this time.

"No problem." Luo Ping nodded.

Luo Ping has a clear understanding of his own position. He only does what he should do and never interferes in matters he is not good at.

Even if he followed the New Second Regiment to attack Shenkou Town, he would not be able to play a big role and would be no different from an infantryman.

After Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping made the decision, Luo Ping immediately organized his troops to retreat, while Chen Chengxing waited until he confirmed that the vanguard of the 109th Division was less than 10 kilometers away from the Xiji stronghold before marching westward to enter the Yalu Mountains.

Of course, before leaving, Chen Chengxing did not forget to ask the soldiers to leave some gifts for the devils. After all, since they were here, they couldn't leave nothing with nothing, right? The devils should blame the Eighth Route Army for not knowing etiquette.

After confirming that all the Eighth Route Army troops in the Xiji stronghold had escaped, the 109th Division did not stay there and headed straight for Anqiu City.

After all, the Xiji stronghold is just a stronghold and cannot accommodate so many people from the 109th Division.

Outside the Xiji stronghold.

Yamaoka Shigehisa looked at the stronghold that had led to his empty-handed return, and remained silent.

Seeing that Yamaoka Shigehiko was not happy, Cang Mao Shuzo, who was standing by, tried to persuade him, "Division Commander, I think we will be back soon, and by then we will be able to cross the Yellow River and break through Shaanxi."

Kuramao Shuzo also knew that the entire Chinese Expeditionary Force's strategy was now centered around Wuhan, and the headquarters did not give top priority to advancing westward into northern Shaanxi.

However, Kuramo Shuzo believed that as long as the Battle of Wuhan ended as planned and the First Army received reinforcements, crossing the Yellow River to the west would not be difficult.

Yamaoka Shigehiro nodded without saying anything.

Xiji is a place that is usually inconspicuous, but if a large army wants to cross the river through Lijiachuan from here, it will be a deadly threat.

Yamaoka Shigehisa plans to leave more people here next time to make the Xiji stronghold impregnable.

At that time, they had no idea that although the Japanese finally won the Battle of Wuhan, it was a tragic victory in the end.

From then on, the all-out offensive on the Chinese battlefield came to an end, and the war entered a strategic stalemate.

The 109th Division was also transferred to the front line to fight, and after suffering heavy losses, its number was finally completely cancelled in 1940.

Taiyuan City, First Army Headquarters.

"Sir, the 109th Division has withdrawn to Anqiu, and the 20th Division has also withdrawn to Linfen. As for the 108th Division and the 14th Regiment, they have returned to their respective bases under the order of the North China Front Command. They should head to the Wuhan front next." Naosaburo Okabe reported.

"Thank you for your hard work, Okabe-kun." Kazuki Seiji leaned back in his chair and pinched his brows.

He had heard some news that the base camp was very dissatisfied with what he had done in the past year.

If I don’t have any more military achievements, I’m afraid what awaits me is to be transferred back to my homeland.

Kiyoshi Kozuki couldn't understand why he was invincible when he led his team in the front line fighting with the elite troops of the Guo army, but became like this when he was maintaining stability in the rear.

Those local guerrillas couldn't even get each of them a piece of clothing, so how could they be so difficult to deal with?

Naosaburo Okabe looked at Seiji Katsuki with a frown on his face and wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't open his mouth.

Okabe Naosaburo also heard about Katsuki Seiji's situation, but he could do nothing about it.

Unlike Xiangyue Qingsi's sad face, Chen Chengxing, who has arrived in Wangshan Town, is very happy.

"Old Chen, you have a damn plan and mobilized me, and you still want me to cooperate with you?" Li Yunlong said.

There are only three people in the room now: Chen Chengxing, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie. Li Yunlong is very bold.

"At that time, even my independent regiment moved westward. I think you are more powerful than the division commander!" Kong Jie also echoed.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"You two should stop saying such sour words here. After all, you are the ones who followed the brigade commander to fight big battles. Unlike us in the New Second Regiment, we have to find ways to fight on our own if we want to." Chen Chengxing said.

Li Yunlong's lips almost turned to the back of his head at Chen Chengxing's boasting.

He really wants to develop independently, but now he has no chance.

"Old Chen, tell me, what benefits did you get this time?" Li Yunlong asked secretly.

"What's the big deal? The Xiji stronghold is just a squadron of Japanese soldiers, and the reinforcements from Anqiu are mainly puppet army garrisons. What good things can they have?"

"I just seized some rice at the Xiji stronghold. If you two want to eat some, send someone to my place to get some. I can't say if there's too much, but I can still afford a carriage for each of you."

As soon as Li Yunlong finished speaking, Chen Chengxing saw through his thoughts and started crying poor.

Although the New Second Regiment has seized a lot of spoils, it is not yet time to put them away and they must not be exposed easily.

As soon as Chen Chengxing finished speaking, there was a loud bang.

The door was pushed open.

(End of this chapter)