Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 278: Defense of the 3rd Brigade!
"The 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade was surrounded by the main force of the Eighth Route Army in the Xiyan Basin?"

In Taiyuan, at the First Army Headquarters, Yoshio Shinozuka listened to the report from the communications staff with a tone full of shock and questioning.

What is going on? How did the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade end up in the Xiyan Basin?
If the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade was surrounded by the main force of the Eighth Route Army, it would be in great danger.

Mutaguchi Ren'ya, who was standing by, had almost the same expression of shock and doubt as Shinozuka Yoshio.

The Japanese staff officers were shocked. The Eighth Route Army actually had the strength to surround the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade?

"Hi Yi!"

The communications officer bowed his head and repeated the contents of the telegram:
"The 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade and the 6th Division of the Locust Army have suffered nearly half their casualties. Major General Liuxia ordered his troops to move north of the Xiyan Basin and switch from offense to defense. However, the Eighth Route Army has established defensive positions north of the Xiyan Basin, cutting off the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade's retreat. An encirclement of over Eighth Route Army troops is about to be formed. Major General Liuxia requests tactical guidance."

Yoshio Shinozuka and Mutaguchi Ren'ya quickly looked at the battle map.

The operations officer glanced at the map and said in a deep voice with a grim expression, "General, the map shows that the terrain of the Xiyan Basin is very unique. There is a flat land with a radius of several kilometers in the middle, surrounded by mountains. There are only two exits, one in the south and one in the north. If the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade is surrounded by the Eighth Route Army in the Xiyan Basin, the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade is likely to..."

Having said this, the operations staff officer paused and did not dare to continue.

But all the Japanese knew what the combat staff was going to say, and the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade was likely to be wiped out.

For a moment, the operations hall fell into silence.

"Mutaguchi-kun, what do you think?"

A minute later, Shinozuka Yoshio asked in a cold voice with a gloomy face.

"I don't know why Major General Yanagishita would disobey the command of the headquarters."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Mutaguchi Renya began to shift the blame, stating that the current difficult situation of the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade was not caused by the First Army and the General Staff, but by Major General Yanagishita's disobedience to orders:
"But now that things have come to this, we can only dispatch troops immediately to rescue the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade."

"We can withdraw locust army forces from Taiyuan, Yangqu, Xinzhou, and Dingxiang and send them to the Xiyan Basin to rescue the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade."

"The locust troops in these areas are relatively close to the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade."

"The troops will set out immediately after receiving the order. They can reach the Xiyan Basin in one night at most by forced march."

"Although the Eighth Route Army's strength did surprise us, I think this should be the Eighth Route Army's limit. They don't have more troops to encircle and attack reinforcements."

"If the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade can hold out in the Xiyan Basin for one night."

"Once the main force of the locust army arrives tomorrow morning, they will be able to form a counter-encirclement of the Eighth Route Army. This is the central blooming tactic."

Yoshio Shinozuka nodded. Mutaguchi Ren'ya's analysis was the same as what he thought.

The situation of the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade was indeed critical, but it was also an opportunity for the First Army to destroy the main force of the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong.

But the prerequisite is that the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade can hold out for one night.

Shinozuka Yoshio regained his composure. He stared at the map for a moment with his hands clasped behind his back, a grim expression on his face. Then he gave the order in a stern tone:

"Immediately order the 40th Brigade stationed in Taiyuan, the Locust Army stationed in Yangquan, Xinzhou, and Dingxiang, and the main forces of the Locust Army and the Locust Army to march within half an hour of receiving this order and head to the Xiyan Basin to encircle the Eighth Route Army."

"If the troops do not march within half an hour after receiving the order, the military commander will be forced to disembowel himself to apologize to the locust."

"Hi!" Mutaguchi Ren'ya suddenly lowered his head and asked the communications staff to quickly make a phone call to convey the order.

After a pause, Mutaguchi Ren'ya continued, "Commander, the Eighth Route Army has more troops and ammunition than the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade. Judging from the encirclement they've formed against the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade, they must have already planned a battle plan to destroy it. I don't hold out much hope that the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade can survive tonight."

Yoshio Shinozuka's face suddenly turned gloomy. He really didn't expect this.

The Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong is really cunning, especially the Jinzhong commander Li Yunlong, who can be called a thousand-year-old fox.

The offensive operation against Jinzhong was thought to be a harvest battle of the locust army, but unexpectedly it was a defense battle of the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade.

It's hard.

Shinozuka Yoshio narrowed his eyes and said, "Then according to what Mutaguchi-kun said, shouldn't we send reinforcements?"

Mutaguchi Ren'ya said: "In addition to the reinforcements, we should also send aviation units to provide air support to the 3rd Brigade."

Shinozuka Yoshio frowned and said, "Our aviation unit does not have the ability to fight at night."

Mutaguchi Renya said, "Commander, when the air support arrives, just have the 3rd Brigade fire flares over the Eighth Route Army. The 3rd Brigade doesn't have many flares for this operation, so you can send transport planes to drop flares for the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade."

"That's a good idea." Shinozuka Yoshio nodded. "Immediately order the 6th Flight Squadron to prepare. Tell Lieutenant Colonel Amano that we must make amends tonight. If the 3rd Brigade can successfully hold its ground with the air support of the aviation force and the locust army can encircle the main force of the Eighth Route Army, then we will no longer be held responsible for bombing the wrong Eighth Route Army artillery position, resulting in the heavy losses suffered by the 3rd Brigade."

Because Japanese planes did not have the ability to fight at night, Yoshio Shinozuka did not initially plan to send the 6th Flying Squadron to attack.

However, without the air support of the aviation unit, the 3rd Brigade would probably have difficulty holding on.

"Hi!"

Mutaguchi Ren'ya lowered his head, turned around and went to pass on the order.

……

It was getting dark.

The Eighth Route Army's offensive became increasingly fierce. The soldiers attacked from all directions, and the Japanese's space in the Xiyan Basin was further compressed.

Yanagishita Shigeharu could only order his troops to enter Xiyan Town. "Captain, the Japanese have entered Xiyan Town, just as you predicted."

At the temporary front-line command center, the burly and sharp-eyed Zhang Dabiao walked into the regiment headquarters and reported to Li Yunlong.

Zhang Dabiao looked at Li Yunlong with a hint of admiration. Li Yunlong had anticipated every move of the Japanese.

It's just like a god.

Li Yunlong stared at the map around Xiyan Town and narrowed his eyes.

"It seems that the Japanese are going to fight a street battle with us in Xiyan Town." Zhao Gang said.

"Street fighting?" Li Yunlong snorted coldly, "We need alleys for that."

"Order the troops not to launch an immediate attack, but to consolidate the encirclement first. Do not allow even a single enemy or puppet soldier to break through."

"While consolidating the encirclement, we can arrange for comrades from the Enemy Work Department to speak to the Japanese puppet troops and see if we can cause internal strife among them."

"Yes!"

Zhang Dabiao raised the corner of his mouth and turned to walk out.

"Zhao Gang, order all artillery units to prepare to fire. We will blow Xiyan Town into ruins and see what the Japanese can use to fight street battles." Li Yunlong said to Zhao Gang with a fierce look.

Although it is a town, many of the houses in the town are made of earth and bricks, and there are relatively few pure wooden houses.

Otherwise, Li Yunlong would have directly ordered the soldiers to fire incendiary bombs to set the houses on fire, thus burning the Japanese and puppet troops to death.

The Japanese were not fools. If the town was full of wooden houses, they would not dare to enter.

"Yes!"

Zhao Gang turned and walked towards the phone.

……

at the same time.

Xiyan Town.

After the Eighth Route Army stopped the attack, the Japanese and puppet troops began to build defensive positions around the town with the town as the center.

The streets and alleys of the town were filled with wounded Japanese and puppet soldiers.

"Water, I want to drink water..."

The Japanese soldiers in each hand had chapped lips due to thirst.

The Eighth Route Army had filled up all the wells in advance, and the Japanese fled in such a hurry that they didn't even have water to drink when they arrived at Xiyan Town.

There was a river on the edge of the basin, but it had long been occupied by the Eighth Route Army. Soldiers who went there to fetch water were shot to death by the Eighth Route Army with machine guns.

3rd Brigade Headquarters.

Tatsuo Yamazaki poured the last of the water in the kettle into his mouth, only able to moisten his lips.

"These Eighth Route Army soldiers are so insidious that they even filled up all the wells. Fortunately, the heavy machine guns we use are air-cooled, otherwise it would be difficult to even fight." Yamazaki Tatsuo cursed.

Yanagishita Shigeharu said in a deep voice, "The enemy commander is truly amazing. He even calculated our arrival at Xiyan Town and filled the well in advance."

At this moment, the communications staff came up to Yanagishita Shigeharu with a telegram.

"General."

"A telegram has just arrived from the First Army Headquarters."

Yanagishita Shigeharu immediately took it, and Yamazaki Tatsuo came next to Yanagishita Shigeharu with a torch, and the two of them read the telegram in the light of the torch.

After reading the telegram, Yanagishita Shigeharu was shocked. "Yoshi, Yamazaki-kun, immediately inform the Locust Army and the Locust Alliance that the Locust Army's reinforcements have already set out. If we can hold out for one night, tomorrow the main force of the Locust Army's First Army will form a huge encirclement outside the Xiyan Basin. Together with us, they will completely wipe out the main force of the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong!"

Although Yanagishita Shigeharu pretended to be excited and happy, he remained solemn in his heart.

It was hard to say whether the 3rd Brigade could hold out for a night, let alone a decisive victory.

Then Yanagishita Shigeharu continued to read the second telegram, which was about air support and airdrops at night.

However, Yanagishita Shigeharu did not have much hope for air support. Air support did not work during the day, so how could it work at night?

After Yanagishita Shigeharu gave a few more instructions, Yamazaki Tatsuo lowered his head and said "Hi", then turned around and quickly notified the various troops, forcibly boosting the morale that had fallen to rock bottom.

While the Eighth Route Army was consolidating the encirclement, comrades from the Enemy Work Department simultaneously spoke to the devils and puppet troops in Japanese and Chinese.

Although it failed to cause internal strife between the Japanese and the puppet army, it did cause the morale of the Japanese and the puppet army, which had just been forcibly boosted, to fall to the bottom again.

"Damn it! These spineless bastards are really fucking pissing me off! They're just toasting you and eating artillery shells." Upon learning that the puppet troops hadn't dared to fire at the devils, the command center angrily issued an order, "Pass on my order! All artillery groups, fire immediately."

If the puppet army dared to open fire on the devils, Li Yunlong could still spare their lives after the war!
Now we can only eliminate all the devils and puppet troops!

(End of this chapter)