Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 334 Our reinforcements are still on their way
The operations room of the First Army in Taiyuan.

Looking at the map, Yoshio Shinotsuka asked, "Yamaoka-kun, where are the reinforcements now?"

"According to the latest telegram, the reinforcements from Shuiquan and Fu'an have already engaged in combat with the Eighth Route Army."

"The enemy forces at these two locations are putting up fierce resistance and are not giving an inch," Yamaoka Michifumi explained, pointing to the map.

"Because of the urgent need for reinforcements, the troops in Shuiquan and Fu'an are all lightly armed infantry, and the offensive is not going very smoothly at present."

In the past, when the troops carried out mopping-up operations, the Eighth Route Army usually focused on harassment.

There weren't many times when they engaged in direct combat.

Therefore, the Japanese did not expect that this would be the case.

"What's the current situation of the 8th Regiment in Luyang and the 61st Regiment in Wuyi?" Yoshio Shinotsuka asked.

Even if the troops from Shuiquan and Fu'an were to break through the Eighth Route Army's defenses, they would not be able to provide reinforcements in a short time, given the pace of their infantry advance.

Now, Yoshio Shinotsuka's only hope lies with Luyang's 8th Regiment.

After all, Anqiu was also attacked, in addition to Ping'an County.

The 8th Regiment's route can simultaneously support Anqiu and Ping'an.

"The Nomura team departed by car half an hour ago."

"The Saito Regiment from Wuyi County just reported that they are also ready to depart."

"However, it's getting dark now, and Saito's forces will probably only be able to reach Sanhe Town at most."

Unlike Luyang, Wuyi County's reinforcements could only cross the Zhongyun Mountains if they wanted to support Ping'an County.

This route is not only much longer, but also extremely dangerous.

"I understand." Yoshio Shinotsuka nodded.

"Monitor the situation of each unit in real time, and report any problems immediately."

"In addition, order the 37th Regiment in Taiyuan to prepare to depart early tomorrow morning."

"It's rare for the Eighth Route Army to leave the mountains on their own initiative. This time, I'm going to completely eliminate the threat posed by the Eighth Route Army in Northwest Shanxi!"

Yoshio Shinotsuka's only regret now is that he no longer has any planes.

Otherwise, sending just a few bombers would have greatly slowed down the Eighth Route Army's siege.

"Hai!"
What is the current situation in the surrounding area?

Chen Chengxing walked into the temporary command post from outside.

He just inspected the front lines, and the progress of each regiment is going very smoothly.

The remaining Japanese soldiers inside the pass are being wiped out piece by piece, and it won't be long before they occupy the entire pass.

"According to the latest intelligence, the New First Regiment and the New Third Regiment have made contact with the reinforcements from the Shuiquan and Fu'an directions."

"The Japanese troops from Luyang and Wuyi counties have also been mobilized, and they are all traveling in trucks, carrying heavy artillery," Xu Wu reported.

"Even the puppet troops accompanying us were forcibly requisitioned to travel by donkey cart and horse-drawn carriage."

"Commander, the Japanese have really gone all out this time," Chu Yunfei said.

"The Japanese reinforcements that have been dispatched so far number more than 10,000."

"The Japanese devils probably have bigger ambitions!"

"I estimate that the troops stationed in Taiyuan, Liangcheng, and even Suicheng may be mobilized next."

Chu Yunfei's expression was somewhat solemn.

If the Japanese army only needed to relieve the siege of Ping'an and Anqiu, they wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths.

Now, the Japanese are risking attacks on their rear by mobilizing so many troops; they must be trying to wipe out the main force of the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shanxi.

"Heh. That's all the Japanese have to offer. They want to use Ping'an and Anqiu as bait to launch a counter-encirclement."

Chen Chengxing took off his belt and sat down.

The Japanese tactics were rather rigid, relying on only a few moves over and over again.

Once we've figured out their intentions, the Japanese army's next move will be clear.

"The remaining Japanese soldiers and puppet troops number only about three hundred. It seems they intend to use the city walls as a last-ditch effort."

"However, given the strength of the new Second Regiment, they should be able to take Ping An within two hours after dawn tomorrow."

"When there's no bait left, let's see what Yoshio Shinotsuka will use to fish."

Due to its topography, Ping'an County, excluding the Guanxiang area, is only 2 kilometers long from north to south and less than 1 kilometer from east to west.

The battalion-level 82mm mortars of the New Second Regiment can cover the entire city.

If it weren't for the fact that fighting in the streets at night would be at a great disadvantage to their side, Chen Chengxing would have already ordered an attack.

With a troop ratio of 30 to 1, it's really hard to imagine how they could possibly lose.

The direction of Heyanggou.

"Captain, what's going on with the Japanese? Why aren't they stopping at night?"

The soldiers from the county brigade looked at the lights coming from afar with some confusion.

They dared to drive around at night; they really didn't respect the Eighth Route Army.
"It seems that Ping'an County is in imminent danger, otherwise the Japanese reinforcements would not have been able to advance so recklessly."

"Have all the comrades get ready," the battalion commander said.

At this point, Nomura's unit had no idea what awaited them ahead.

"Tell the locust-fighting forces to speed up! We need to get to Anqiu and Ping'an as quickly as possible!"

"I'm sitting in the truck and talking leisurely," Nomura Satoru said.

According to the plan, the Nomura Regiment will split up in Qujiao Town, with one part heading to Anqiu and the other to Ping'an.

At the forefront of the puppet army, after hearing the orders delivered by the messenger, the puppet army commander Bao Ming casually shouted a few words to his men.

As for the marching speed of his men, his opinion didn't matter.

After all, the legs weren't his.

The order to speed up the march was, to the puppet troops, practically worthless.

The Japanese had trucks to ride in, and the officers in the regiment had donkey carts to ride in; only they had to walk.

Traveling through the night was already a nightmare enough, and now they want them to speed up? This is just bullying!

Just then, the 3rd Company of the puppet army, which was scouting ahead, stepped on a landmine.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
This was a chain reaction mine; a series of explosions rang out, and more than a dozen puppet soldiers were killed or wounded on the spot.

However, neither Bao Ming nor Nomura Satoru were in a hurry; on the contrary, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yoshi! Something's finally happened!" Nomura Satoru exclaimed excitedly.

He had been waiting for this landmine for a long time.

After getting off the bus, Nomura Satoru composed himself and hurriedly ran ahead.

"Baka yarou! The Eighth Route Army is incredibly cunning!"

"Sappers! Clear the mines quickly!" Nomura Satoru shouted.

As for the mine-clearing speed of the engineers, Satoru Nomura was quite certain.

They will definitely drag their feet.

"Hai!"
Several sappers, flashlights in hand, stepped forward to begin clearing mines. The county brigade's machine gunner, wiping his newly assigned Type 96 light machine gun, asked the person beside him:

"Captain, can't we hit them?"

I haven't fired the Type 96 machine gun yet, so I'll just have to use it on a Japanese soldier to "bless" it.

"What fighting? Our mission is to watch the show," the captain said.

"Watching the show? Wouldn't it be even more exciting if I just fired a burst of bullets at him?"

"Nonsense! Turn off all the safety devices, don't let it go off accidentally," the captain said irritably.

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. If a fire breaks out here, the Japanese will definitely retaliate.

By then, the county brigade's ammunition will be running out.

"Remember, our mission is to slow down the Japanese army's march."

"Now that they've slowed down on their own, why are we in such a hurry?"

"Let them sweep at their own pace."

The landmines planted by the county brigade this time were a mix of real and fake, some real and some fake.

If the Japanese chose to clear the mines slowly, it would buy them enough time.

After the Japanese soldiers cross this minefield, there will be more waiting for them.

"Report! This is the latest update on the progress of each unit."

Inside the Taiyuan headquarters, a Japanese staff officer handed telegrams from various units to Yoshio Shinotsuka.

"How come they've only made so little? They haven't made any progress all night?"

Looking at the few telegrams in his hand, Yoshio Shinotsuka frowned deeply.

These telegrams contained very few words; he only needed to glance at them to understand the whole situation.

"Sir, the troops in the Shuiquan and Fu'an direction are facing fierce resistance from the Eighth Route Army."

"Moreover, the enemy's field fortifications are relatively well-constructed, and without the support of large-caliber artillery, the troops' offensive is progressing slowly," the Japanese staff officer explained.

"What about the 8th Regiment? What's their situation?" Yoshio Shinotsuka asked.

"Didn't we receive a telegram saying they were traveling overnight? Why haven't they even reached Anqiu yet?"

"An hour ago, Colonel Nomura called to say that they had broken through the Eighth Route Army's minefield."

"But when we arrived at Xiaoyong River, we found that the enemy had blown up the bridge over the river."

"The engineering corps should be repairing the bridge now."

"Baka yarou!" Yoshio Shinotsuka almost died of anger.

We sent you to support Anqiu and Ping'an so you could go to war.

We didn't send you to build bridges and pave roads!
Yoshio Shinotsuka quickly walked to the map and soon found the current location of the 8th Regiment.

"The 8th Regiment is currently 30 kilometers away from Anqiu, and 45 kilometers away from Ping'an."

"They only walked a little over ten kilometers in one night?"

Yoshio Shinotsuka originally thought that the Fourth Division had changed their ways, as they had unexpectedly launched an operation overnight.

Is this the result?

"Send a telegram to Colonel Nomura now, ordering them to reach Anqiu within three hours!"

"Otherwise, Colonel Nomura should commit seppuku to atone for the Emperor's sins!" Yoshio Shinotsuka ordered.

"Hai!"
"To commit seppuku in apology to the Emperor?"

"Thank you so much." Nomura Satoru casually tossed the telegram aside.

Military orders must be carried out, of course, but the Nomura Regiment is currently facing resistance, so there's nothing he can do if they aren't carried out properly.

Yoshio Shinotsuka couldn't possibly use this to send him to a military court.

Otherwise, not a single officer in the entire Chinese Expeditionary Army would survive.

Who can guarantee that they can complete all the orders?

If you can guarantee that, I'll give you three men tomorrow so you can take Chongqing.

No, it's about taking Washington!

As for seppuku? Let whoever wants to do it do it.

After ignoring Yoshio Shinotsuka's orders, Satoru Nomura looked to the side.

"Commander Li, why wasn't Staff Officer Zhou sent this time?"

"Chief of Staff Zhou has military duties to attend to and can't leave, so he specifically asked me to come and discuss combat matters with you," Li Chishui said with a smile.

Previously, Zhou Weiguo was in charge of all transactions with the Fourth Division.

However, Zhou Weiguo was currently unable to spare any time, so Chen Chengxing had no choice but to let Li Chishui handle the matter.

“I see.” Nomura Satoru nodded.

Nomura Satoru knew that the New Second Regiment was attacking Ping'an County.

As a staff officer, one is exceptionally busy during battles.

"How many men have you prepared for this ambush?" Nomura Satoru asked.

"Five hundred!" Li Chishui gestured.

"With these 500 men, I think Colonel Nomura should be able to settle all the previous debts and even make a big profit."

"Yoshi. Your army has made quite a haul these past few days," Nomura Satoru said with a smile.

"It's barely breaking even," Li Chishui said, not elaborating on the matter.

"Shall we stick to the old rules?" Nomura Satoru didn't continue the topic.

“Sure, one hundred guns and three thousand rounds of ammunition.” Li Chishui nodded.

"Location?" Nomura Satoru asked.

"Luo Family Village!"

"Yosh! Deal done!"

Nomura Satoru and Li Chishui shook hands, indicating that the deal was settled.

We're all old friends, there's no need to nitpick over the details.

"General Shinotsuka has ordered! Abandon the trucks and proceed on foot to bypass this area!"

"The puppet troops and the 2nd Company of the 3rd Battalion are responsible for staying behind!"

"The rest of you! Follow me!" Nomura Satoru shouted.

By this time, the Japanese soldiers of the Nomura Regiment already knew the details.

Naturally, he didn't say much, but instead focused on getting on his way.

Moreover, the marching speed was not slower than the previous mechanized marching.

After all, they could also gain some military merit from it.

And most importantly, they will consume a lot of ammunition.

(End of this chapter)