Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 299 The Japanese artillery firepower is a bit weak!
"Third Battalion Commander, you are quite sinister."

Meng County.

At the headquarters of the New 1st Regiment, Li Yunlong sat cross-legged on the kang and listened to Zuo Ye's report, then nodded with satisfaction.

Li Yunlong was holding a telegram in his hand, which had just been sent by Lin Feng.

Before the third battalion left last night, it blew up 12 Japanese trucks and 3 Japanese drivers.

Earn 18 large trucks.

"Didn't I learn this from you, Captain?"

Zuo Ye raised the corner of his mouth:
"When it comes to playing dirty, who can compare to you, Captain?

"Captain, that pepper bomb last night was really powerful."

"The smoke from the explosion and the chili powder dust entered the gun towers and bunkers, choking the enemy so much that they ran out in a panic."

"If it weren't for the pepper bombs, our Third Battalion would have suffered at least dozens more casualties."

Although Zuo Ye also likes to play dirty, he thinks he is far inferior to Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong chuckled.

"That's right. When fighting, use your brain more. Don't act recklessly, and don't do business that loses money."

"Your Third Battalion fought very well in the battle last night and it was very profitable."

"Go back and rest. I will ask the brigade headquarters to commend your Third Battalion. We will have combat missions in a few days."

"Captain." Zuo Ye's eyes lit up: "Are there any combat missions?"

"That's right." Li Yunlong nodded, his tone grim: "The Japanese have blockaded our Jinzhong base for several months. We finally broke the enemy's blockade. Shouldn't we retaliate?"

"Captain," Zuo Ye asked hurriedly, "how do you plan to retaliate?"

Li Yunlong snorted, "If I don't turn the Zhengtai Railway and Beitongpu Railway upside down this time, I won't be called Li."

"Haha." Zuo Ye laughed, "I understand!"

He knew his own leader very well, and his appetite was always just the tip of the iceberg. The Zhengtai Railway and the Beitongpu Railway were probably not the leader's real strategic goals.

But asking this is enough, just wait for orders.

Zuo Ye's expression became serious, he saluted, turned around and left quickly.

After Zuo Ye left, Li Yunlong took out his notebook and looked thoughtful.

The anti-mopping-up operation troops reaped rich rewards.

However, the troops also suffered some losses, with more than 2500 casualties. The New 1000st and New 500rd Regiments suffered about casualties, while the Independent Regiment suffered fewer casualties, around .

Compared with the enemy's casualties of tens of thousands, this casualty is within an acceptable range.

We have to recruit soldiers again. The development of the army is like rowing against the current, if we don’t move forward, we will fall behind.

The Jinzhong troops had nearly 20,000 people before the war, but after one battle, there were only more than 16,000 people, which was roughly equal to the strength of a Japanese Type B division.

If we don't continue recruiting soldiers, we will lose two to three thousand people after each battle, and the troops will be wiped out after a few battles.

However, the Jinzhong base area had such a small population and such a small territory, so the number of young and middle-aged men of military age who could join the army was fixed.

If the troops want to develop and survive, they can only continue to expand their territory.

Li Yunlong took out the map and saw that the current enemy and friendly situation in Shanxi was basically fixed.

Southeastern Shanxi was the base of the 129th Division, while northwestern and northeastern Shanxi were the bases of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.

The Zhongtiao Mountain area in southern Shanxi was the territory of Wei Lihuang's Central Army. Western and southwestern Shanxi were mainly defended by the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army to prevent the Japanese from crossing the Yellow River to the west and attacking Xi'an and Yan'an in northern Shaanxi.

Taiyuan and most county towns, the Zhengtai Railway and Tongpu Road were territories occupied by the Japanese.

There is a vast guerrilla area between the Japanese territory and the Eighth Route Army's base.

If the New 1st Regiment wants to grow and become stronger, it can only seize territory from the Japanese.

And develop the guerrilla area into a base for the Jinzhong Military Region.

Further compress the living and activity space of the Japanese and puppet troops.

However, the Japanese are still very powerful at present, and trying to achieve this strategic goal is tantamount to snatching food from the tiger's mouth.

But from the day he started the revolution, Li Yunlong put his head on his belt and was ready to sacrifice at any time.

Where there is struggle, there will be bloodshed and sacrifice.

"The first step is to muddy the waters and attack the Beitongpu and Xizhengtai Railways."

"The second step is to send troops to develop a base area south of the Zhengtai Railway and east of the Beitongpu Road, and organize the people to fight the Japanese."

"The third step is to surround the cities from the countryside. First, we will develop and expand, and then we will gradually surround Yangquan, Datong, and Taiyuan."

"When the time comes, we'll cut off Xinkou and Niangziguan, hehe..."

The Japanese were able to enter Shanxi by attacking on two fronts, namely Xinkou and Niangziguan.

By that time, the troops will have grown stronger, occupy Xinkou and Niangziguan, and then cut off the two railway lines.

The Japanese soldiers in Shanxi were trapped in a jar.

……

Taiyuan.

Japanese First Army Headquarters.

Yoshio Shinozuka and others were still racking their brains over how to deal with the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong.

In the face of Mutaguchi Ren'ya's ridicule, Yamamoto Ikki's expression did not fluctuate at all.

Yamamoto was indignant because Mutaguchi Ren'ya came from an ordinary family and had no background or connections.

Yamamoto could easily see that this man had neither courage nor strategy.

He was only given an important position because he fired the first shot in the "holy war", but he will be exposed sooner or later.

Yamamoto thought that he and Itagaki Seishirō were classmates, and his military level was similar to Itagaki's.

Itagaki was already famous throughout the world, but he hadn't even reached the threshold of becoming a general.

This is simply a great loss to the locust army.

Yamamoto Ikki said coldly, "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, with all due respect, even if we mobilize the elite troops of the three divisions of the Locust Army to encircle and suppress the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong, we may not be able to eliminate Li Yunlong and his troops. At most, we can injure them, but they will eventually come back. These Eighth Route Army soldiers in the mountains are best at fighting guerrilla warfare against the Locust Army."

Mutaguchi Renya became even angrier: "Yamamoto Ikki, and you still say you are not an undercover agent sent by the Eighth Route Army?"

"You are boosting the morale of the Eighth Route Army and destroying the prestige of the First Army. You are interfering with the commander's judgment."

"Commander-in-Chief, I recommend that Yamamoto Ikki be shot immediately to prove his worth."

Although Yamamoto Ikki was only a colonel, he relied on the favor of Yoshio Shinozuka and ignored his authority, which was something Mutaguchi Ren could not tolerate.

A murderous look flashed in Yamamoto's eyes. This devil Mutaguchi really wanted him to die.

Killing Mutaguchi Ren'ya was as easy as killing an ant.

With just a stretch of his hand, he could easily break this person's neck.

Yamamoto's skills and individual combat abilities are definitely T1 level in Bright Sword.

Shinozuka Yoshio's face darkened. "Mutaguchi-kun, please cut the spit. How could Yamamoto-kun be an undercover agent of the Eighth Route Army? I don't want to hear such talk again. You are all my right-hand men and women. You must be united."

"If anyone continues to slander me, I will send him to the front lines, charging at the enemy with a Type 38 rifle in hand."

Mutaguchi Ren'ya's expression froze. "Hey." After a pause, Shinozuka Yoshio added, "What you two said has some truth to it."

"but."

"What we need to consider now is how to prevent the Eighth Route Army from attacking the Xizhengtai Railway and the Beitongpu Railway."

"Li Yunlong is a vindictive man. The Locust Army and the Locust Alliance Army from Caijiabao only killed a few dozen civilians in Jinzhong."

"He sent troops to kill all the locust soldiers and locust supporters in Caijiabao."

"We have blocked the Jinzhong base for such a long time this time."

"Li Yunlong will definitely launch a surprise attack on the Zhengtai Railway and Tongpu Road."

"Wait until the next sweep is over, if the Jinzhong Eighth Route Army hasn't been completely wiped out."

"Then we'll use Yamamoto-kun's tactics again and completely blockade the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong with the concrete bunkers and artillery towers of the Maginot Line."

If you want to launch an attack on the Eighth Route Army, you must first ensure that the transportation routes are unobstructed.

Fighting requires supplies. Without railway transportation, the combat effectiveness of the First Army will be greatly reduced.

Mutaguchi Renya said, "Commander, now that the battle in southern Shanxi has ended, we can transfer one division from southern Shanxi back to the Tongpu Railway, and deploy one division each on the Zhengtai Railway and the Tongpu Railway to protect the smooth flow of railway transportation."

"Yoshi!" Shinozuka Yoshio nodded. "Then we'll transfer the 108th Division back to the Beitongpu Railway, with the division headquarters stationed in Xinzhou to guard against sneak attacks by the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong on the Beitongpu Railway. The Xizhengtai Railway will be defended by the 20th Division."

The 108th Division was stationed in Linfen and Quwo areas and participated in the battle in southern Shanxi.

After the 108th Division was transferred away, there were still two divisions and two independent mixed brigades in southern Shanxi.

Yamamoto Ikki said with a worried tone: "Commander, if you transfer the 40th Brigade, what if the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong launches a surprise attack on Taiyuan?"

"That's fine!" Shinozuka Yoshio waved his hand. "We still have the Yoshino Regiment and the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment in Taiyuan. I'll also transfer the 4th Brigade to Taiyuan. We also have two independent divisions of the Locust Army. If Li Yunlong dares to attack Taiyuan, he won't be able to return."

One regiment plus an independent mixed brigade will definitely be able to stop the attack of the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong.

Then the 108th Division and the 20th Division surrounded and attacked the center of the Eighth Route Army.

Yamamoto Ikki's eyes flashed: "If the Eighth Route Army's special forces sneak into the city and decapitate the headquarters before the main force of the Eighth Route Army attacks, it is possible that the Eighth Route Army will capture Taiyuan."

"But please rest assured, Commander. With me and the special forces here, the Eighth Route Army Special Forces will never be able to successfully decapitate them."

Yoshio Shinozuka nodded.

He wasn't worried about that.

No matter how powerful the Eighth Route Army Special Forces are.

There was also no possibility of successfully beheading the First Army Headquarters in the inner city of Taiyuan.

But I have to go out less recently.

The Eighth Route Army's snipers were very powerful and could kill the enemy from 1.5 kilometers away.

He does not mean that.

Yoshio Shinozuka's expression suddenly changed.

"Although the possibility of the Eighth Route Army attacking Taiyuan in the near future is low, there is no guarantee that the Eighth Route Army will never attack Taiyuan."

"The First Army must strengthen its defense of Taiyuan. We must build more concrete bunkers and artillery towers like Yamamoto-kun's around Taiyuan."

"But," Mutaguchi Ren'ya said, "building those concrete bunkers and artillery towers would probably consume a large amount of strategic supplies from the Locust Army."

"For the safety of Taiyuan and the First Army Headquarters," Shinozuka Yoshio said calmly, "it's worth consuming some strategic supplies."

"Mutaguchi-kun, this mission is now yours."

"Hi." Mutaguchi Ren'ya looked worried. Why didn't Yamamoto Ikki give the task of proposing the tactics to him?
……

As the order from the First Army Headquarters was issued.

The Japanese 108th Division quickly assembled in Linfen.

Then we boarded the arranged military train, departing from Linfen and heading along Nantongpu Road to Beitongpu Road.

Simultaneously.

The Japanese 40th Brigade, led by the 20th Division Commander Ushijima Tsunemi, arrived in Shouyang.

This situation.

It was immediately detected by scouts from the Jinzhong base and reported to Li Yunlong.

"The Japs are quite quick."

At the headquarters of the new regiment, Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes.

The troops and militia in the Jinzhong base area are ready and can attack the Xizhengtai Railway and the Beitongpu Railway at any time.

Unexpectedly, the Japanese actually transferred a division back from southern Shanxi.

Based on the intelligence gathered, Xing Zhiguo introduced the 108th Division to Li Yunlong: "This is a special division of the Japanese First Army. It was formed with the reserve personnel of the 8th Division. It has two brigades and four infantry regiments under its command. In addition, there is a cavalry battalion, a field artillery battalion, an engineer regiment, and a logistics regiment."

In addition, the 20th Division is an old rival of the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong. It is very familiar to Xing Zhiguo, so there is naturally no need for him to introduce it in detail.

"The Japanese artillery firepower is a bit weak!" Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes.

"Generally, the Japanese second-line divisions are equipped with a mountain artillery regiment or a field artillery regiment." Xing Zhiguo raised the corner of his mouth. "The 108th Division only has one field artillery battalion. The artillery firepower is indeed a bit weak."

If it were the former Eighth Route Army, they would naturally have to avoid the Japanese 108th Division if they encountered it.

But times have changed.

Now, the Eighth Route Army of the Jinzhong Military Region alone can compete head-on with the 108th Division, and even their firepower far exceeds that of the other side.

Li Yunlong snorted coldly, his tone filled with murderous intent. "A second-rate division equipped with only a field artillery battalion dares to call itself elite? And how dare they even try to get involved? Is it me, Li Yunlong, who can't lift a sword anymore, or are the Japanese getting too cocky?"

如今光是新一团，就装备了30门120毫米口径迫击炮，以及12门105毫米榴弹炮，12门75毫米博福斯山炮，另外各营装备的大量20毫米机关炮、60毫米迫击炮、82毫米迫击炮和巴祖卡火箭筒等各种火炮。

Not to mention that the Jinzhong base is now equipped with 18 tanks, as well as the Independent Regiment and the New Third Regiment, both of which are also equipped with a lot of artillery.

Of course, the Japanese definitely don’t know about these situations.

Xing Zhiguo said: "Commander, if we attack the Japanese 108th Division on the Beitongpu Road, then the 20th Division deployed on the Xizhengtai Road will definitely attack our Jinzhong base."

"I know!" Li Yunlong nodded seriously. "But our Jinzhong base is not fighting alone. We also have brother troops from the bases in Southeast Shanxi, Northwest Shanxi, and Jin-Cha-Ji to cooperate with us."

Xing Zhiguo's eyes lit up: "If the brother troops cooperate, this battle will be successful!"

"It's just a telegram." Li Yunlong said confidently, "Do you think we handed over so many weapons and ammunition to the brigade headquarters in vain?"

Li Yunlong ordered: "The original combat plan is cancelled, and all troops are on standby."

The Japanese have added a division and a brigade to their forces. This is not a small force. If they continue to attack the railway according to the original combat plan, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

A table of food was prepared and two tables of guests came.

"Yes!"

Xing Zhiguo asked the communications staff to issue the new order quickly.

Li Yunlong spread out a map and turned his attention to the Beitongpu Railway.

The 20th Division is a Type A division, equipped with a field artillery regiment. The troops are highly combat-capable and a bit tough to deal with.

However, the equipment and combat effectiveness of the 108th Division were far inferior to those of the 20th Division.

Li Yunlong plans to attack the 108th Division!

(End of this chapter)