Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 190 Go to the county town to make a fortune!
Jin Province.

Taiyuan.

Japanese Army Headquarters.

"General."

"This is a telegram just sent by the commander of the North China Front Army."

In front of the square table, the communications staff bent his waist to 90 degrees and handed over the telegram with both hands.

"read."

Yamashita Fengwen, who was sitting on the armchair, frowned.

As the temporary leader of the Japanese army in Shanxi Province, the North China Front Army Headquarters would send telegrams every once in a while, but since the 21st Brigade Headquarters was destroyed, the North China Front Army Headquarters rarely sent telegrams.

Although some troops achieved considerable results in southeastern and southern Shanxi and captured some county towns.

However, the strategic intention of destroying the main force of China's Second War Zone and the Eighth Route Army was not achieved.

Moreover, the main force of the 79th Infantry Regiment was completely wiped out, as well as the 39th Brigade Headquarters, and the brigade commander was killed. These were all troops of the 20th Division.

Not only did the strategic intention fail to be achieved, but troops were lost as well. As the commander and commander-in-chief of the 20th Division, Yamashita Tomoyuki naturally cannot escape blame.

You might even be fired.

"The 39th Brigade suffered defeat in eastern and southeastern Shanxi, for which Lieutenant General Yamashita bears unshirkable responsibility. However, from late February until now, the locust army has captured over twenty counties in southeastern and southern Shanxi, including Wuxiang, Changzhi, Xiangyuan, Lingshi, Linfen, and Hongdong. The North China Front Command commends Lieutenant General Yamashita for his military exploits."

"In order to unify the command of the locust army in Shanxi Province, quickly eliminate the main force of the Chinese army in Shanxi Province, and end the war in Shanxi Province, with the approval of the headquarters, the First Army will be formed in Shanxi Province, with Lieutenant General Kozuki Seiji as commander and Major General Okabe Naosaburo as chief of staff."

"The locust army in Jin Province will immediately suspend all offensives and prepare to receive the commander and chief of staff."

"..."

Lieutenant General Yamashita Tomoyuki took his seat and breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but he also felt a little unwilling in his heart.

He was not dismissed but his merits and demerits were offset. It should be the efforts of his father-in-law and General Terauchi Hisaichi. Otherwise, with the defeat of the 20th Division, he might have been dismissed.

If the 39th Brigade had not been defeated, the commander of the st Army would have had a chance to fight for it based on his accumulated military achievements.

In a few days, his throne will be taken over by a new commander.

"I understand. Order the troops in southeastern and southern Shanxi to suspend the attack."

Yamashita Tomoyuki waved his hand and said, the communications staff placed the telegram on the square table with both hands, lowered his head, turned around and walked away quickly.

"General."

At this moment, the intelligence staff came in quickly with a telegram in his hand:

"It has been confirmed that the 79th Infantry Regiment was ambushed by the main force of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. The military train that ambushed the Locust Army and the Chinese troops attacking Yangquan were the New st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army, led by Li Yunlong."

The story of the Eighth Route Army's New 39st Regiment and Independent Regiment, led by Li Yunlong, recaptured Yangquan and killed the commander of the Japanese th Regiment, Takagi Yoshito. The story was reported in the "New China Daily" founded by the Eighth Route Army, and was reprinted by media such as the "Central Daily News" and "Ta Kung Pao".

There is no truth without pictures. At the beginning, many people doubted the authenticity of the news. For example, the Kuomintang’s "Central Daily News" liked to exaggerate the facts, reporting good news but not bad news, which led to a serious decline in its credibility.

After seeing the photos taken by the Eighth Route Army's military reporters of the Japanese equipment seized in Yangquan, the body of Major General Yoshito Takagi, the major general's uniform and the major general's command sword, people from all walks of life stopped questioning and were replaced by firecrackers to celebrate.

Chiang Kai-shek of the Nationalist government, Commander-in-Chief Yan Xishan, and people from all walks of life sent telegrams to congratulate the Eighth Route Army for its active offensive in southeastern and eastern Shanxi and its great achievements.

Li Yunlong once again became popular and gained a large number of loyal fans, and die-hard fans.

The Eighth Route Army had openly published an advertisement in the newspaper, so the Japanese naturally knew that the commander of the Eighth Route Army who ambushed the military train and attacked Yangquan was Li Yunlong.

"Li Yunlong again?"

As Yamashita Tomoyuki listened to the intelligence officer's report without any emotion, his face gradually turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

This time, the 79th Infantry Regiment went to southeastern Shanxi, and its combat mission was to launch a surprise attack and destroy Li Yunlong's troops.

However, the 79th Infantry Regiment not only failed to complete its mission, but its main force was wiped out in southeastern Shanxi. The regiment commander, Colonel Kobayashi Tsuneichi, committed seppuku to apologize.

"From this, it seems that Li Yunlong's troops had already escaped our encirclement before the 78th and 79th Infantry Regiments set out."

There was murderous intent in his words.

The intelligence officer was shocked when he heard these words full of murderous intent.

After all, it was an intelligence failure. If Yamashita Tomoyuki investigated, the intelligence department, especially him as the intelligence staff officer, would be held responsible.

Taking a deep breath, the intelligence officer waved his hand and said, "Otsuka-kun, don't be nervous. Go down first..."

Lieutenant Colonel Yoshiichi Otsuka suddenly lowered his head, put down the intelligence information as if he had been pardoned, turned around and prepared to walk out.

Yamashita Fengwen suddenly called him again: "Wait."

Otsuka Yoshi turned around with an ugly expression: "General..."

Yamashita Fengwen said coldly, "Your intelligence department will make investigating the Eighth Route Army Li Yunlong's headquarters and the source of the Eighth Route Army's weapons and ammunition your first task. I want to see the results within five days."

"Hi." Otsuka Yoshiichi lowered his head and left with a bitter look on his face.

Yamashita Tomoyuki looked down and saw a photo cut from a newspaper on the table. It was the body of Major General Takagi Yoshito. Major General Takagi had been stripped of his clothes and pants, leaving only his crotchless pants. There were four or five bloody bullet holes in his upper body: "Takagi-kun..."

Yamashita Tomoyuki stood up, angrily drew out his lieutenant general's sword and smashed the two vases.

"Li Yunlong...one day, this lieutenant general will personally chop off your head with his saber."

……

a few days later.

Southeastern Shanxi.

Brigade Headquarters.

"Li Yunlong sent someone to deliver 70 tons of food? He even borrowed the brigade's transport team?"

The brigade commander, who had just returned to the brigade headquarters after a meeting at the division headquarters, was delighted when he heard the chief of staff's report, then frowned.
"What's this kid Li Yunlong up to?"

The brigade commander could understand the 70 tons of food being sent to the brigade headquarters. After all, the New st Regiment had to carry a large amount of weapons and ammunition when it went to Jinzhong to develop a base, so it could not bring too much food.

But what does Li Yunlong plan to do by borrowing the brigade's transport team?
Chief of Staff Li said, "Li Yunlong asked to borrow the transport team so he could give a gift to the brigade headquarters. I lent it to him, but he didn't say what the gift was."

The brigade commander was stunned: "What kind of gift requires more than 1000 mules to transport?"

Thanks to Li Yunlong, the brigade's transport team now has more than 500 mules, with amazing transport capacity.

This is not a small transport team. Under good road conditions, each big mule and cart can carry 1000 kilograms of cargo.

Of course, not all big mules are equipped with carts, but the transport team of the brigade headquarters and the new regiment can easily transport three to five hundred tons of combat supplies at a time.

Chief of Staff Li was shocked. "Brigade Commander, are you saying that Li Yunlong's gift requires over 1000 mules to carry it? I thought the gift was a reward for borrowing the transport team. Could it be that Boss Lin has delivered another shipment to Li Yunlong?"

As the chief of staff of the 386th Brigade, he naturally knew about Boss Lin.

“It shouldn’t be…”

The brigade commander shook his head. "Boss Lin provides weapons, ammunition, and production lines, but they only come when Li Yunlong leads his troops to kill the Japanese. If Boss Lin were delivering the goods, he could just call the brigade headquarters and not have to borrow a transport team. This guy is probably planning to attack the Japanese again."

"what?"

Chief of Staff Li was suddenly startled. "Is this kid going to cause trouble again? He's only rested for a few days."

"Humph!"

The brigade commander sneered:
"This kid is not someone who can live in peace."

The brigade commander immediately spread out a map, his eyes wandering across it until they finally stopped at Wuxiang County.
"Here, this kid Li Yunlong is probably planning to take over Wuxiang County."

"According to intelligence, a batch of weapons, ammunition, and food recently arrived in Wuxiang County. These are the supplies the Japanese army needs to continue their southward offensive after capturing the county seat in southeastern Shanxi."

After the Japanese captured Wuxiang County, they used it as an important transit station for combat supplies due to its convenient transportation.

Chief of Staff Li suddenly had a headache: "This guy dared to lead his troops to attack the county town before he even left southeastern Shanxi. Once he left southeastern Shanxi, I'm afraid he would dare to lead his troops to attack Taiyuan. Moreover, this guy doesn't even have a political commissar by his side. If he goes to Jinzhong to develop on his own, won't this guy make a big fuss?"

Li Yunlong was a well-known troublemaker among the commanders of the Red Fourth Front Army. He was capable of doing things like allowing his soldiers to rob food. Chief of Staff Li also came from the Red Fourth Front Army and was well aware of Commander Li's style.

The brigade commander smiled and said, "That's good too. Let him go somewhere close to the Japs. After this kid gets into trouble, the Japs will definitely have more trouble than us."

"Haha." Chief of Staff Li laughed: "That's true. Then this time..."

The brigade commander said sternly, "Order the troops to be ready. If the New 1st Regiment's siege doesn't go smoothly, have the troops block Li Yunlong. Maybe this guy can really give us a big gift before he leaves southeastern Shanxi."

"Yes." Chief of Staff Li's expression became serious. The brigade commander really doted on this kid Li Yunlong. He was even prepared to clean up Li Yunlong's mess. Who else had such treatment?

……

"Captain."

"I persuaded a puppet army company commander stationed in the county to defect and obtained a map of the Japanese defense deployment at Wuxiang."

At the headquarters of the New 1st Regiment, Wang Hongcai, the reconnaissance platoon leader in plain clothes, reported to Li Yunlong before he had time to drink a sip of water.

“Haha, good job.”

Li Yunlong took the deployment map and looked at it with a satisfied expression.

"in addition."

Wang Hongcai continued his report, "According to the puppet company commander, the Japanese plan to reinforce the battlements of the city wall with concrete and build concrete and brick bunkers inside and outside the city to store ammunition and food for a long-term garrison. However, they have just started construction, and our reconnaissance platoon has indeed discovered the Japanese building new fortifications inside and outside the city."

"The Japanese are not fools. They know that the 20mm machine guns equipped by our Eighth Route Army can penetrate the bricks in the battlements on the city wall, so they will definitely take countermeasures." Li Yunlong nodded. This was within his expectations.

After the Japanese reinforced the battlements of the city wall with concrete, the difficulty of the New 1st Regiment's siege would inevitably increase by at least two times.

It is better to attack the county town sooner rather than later.

Li Yunlong called Zhao Gang and gave an order with a stern look: "Pass my order, all battalion companies will immediately distribute ammunition and prepare medicines to leave tonight. We will go to the county to make a fortune."

Zhao Gang: "Yes."

(End of this chapter)