Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 310 Independent Development!

Chu Yunfei learned that the main force of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was going to attack Taiyuan.

So Fang Ligong sent a telegram to the headquarters requesting to fight.

But it was rejected by the headquarters.

At the same time, Chu Yunfei, Fang Ligong and others received information that the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong bombarded Taiyuan Airport and severely damaged the 25th Brigade.

The two were very shocked, thinking that Li Yunlong was a man who would not suffer any loss at all.

When the Japanese soldiers were about to launch a raid, he took the lead in attacking and broke one of their legs.

Two days later.

Yang Aiyuan led the main force of the Sixth Army and finally arrived at the Fenhe Plain.

Less than 20 kilometers away from Taiyuan, they were suddenly ambushed by the main force of the Japanese and puppet troops.

The Japanese artillery shells hit the Sixth Army densely.

Because Yang Aiyuan didn't know the strength of the Japanese army and had no intention of attacking Taiyuan.

After being ambushed by the Japanese, Yang Aiyuan immediately ordered his troops to retreat.

But at this moment, the Japanese and puppet cavalry rushed up.

If the enemy cavalry were allowed to charge into the team, I am afraid the entire Sixth Army would be dispersed.

The organizational strength of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army cannot be compared with that of the Eighth Route Army at all.

Even if the Eighth Route Army was dispersed, the troops could still reunite.

But if the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was dispersed, the entire Sixth Army would most likely collapse.

In crisis.

Yang Aiyuan could only order the 1st Cavalry Division of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to turn back and block the enemy cavalry.

Then he ordered the rest of the troops to retreat quickly in the direction they came from.

Cavalry against cavalry, saber against saber, rifle against rifle.

Thousands of cavalrymen quickly divided into three groups and fought together. For a while, there were shouts of people and neighs of horses, and frequent gunshots. The fierce battle lasted for more than an hour.

The officers and soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army fought bravely, but were eventually surrounded by the Japanese and suffered heavy losses due to being outnumbered.

Only a hundred cavalrymen, including the cavalry division commander, managed to break through.

When the news reached the headquarters of the Second War Zone, Yan Laoxi was so angry that he slapped his thigh until it was swollen.

Almost an entire cavalry division was lost, which made the already poor Shanxi-Suiyuan Army even worse off.

I regret not joining in the fun.

at the same time.

All units of the Eighth Route Army had completed the task of destroying the railways and roads controlled by the Japanese army in Shanxi and withdrew to the base area.

Among them, the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong achieved the most brilliant results, inflicting heavy damage to an infantry brigade of the Japanese army.

Secondly, the 129th Division also showed its prowess in this battle, confronting the Japanese 20th Division head-on and even having a slight upper hand.

It is said that when Principal Chang, who was far away in the mountain city, heard about this, he got angry again and cursed.

"Who allowed the Eighth Route Army to expand its forces without authorization?"

"Where did the Eighth Route Army's heavy artillery and tanks come from?"

"Is it possible to bribe Li Yunlong?"

In the evening, Principal Chang wrote three questions in his diary.

……

Taiyuan.

Japanese First Army Headquarters.

"General."

"This is the General Staff's summary of the Eighth Route Army's losses in this major attack on the locust army."

At the square table, the operations staff officer held a folder, put his feet together and reported to Yoshio Shinozuka.

"read."

Yoshio Shinozuka frowned.

As expected, after this defeat, Yoshio Shinozuka was scolded by Terauchi Hisaichi again. If the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment and the Yoshino Regiment had not ambushed the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army on the Fen River Plain, wiped out a cavalry division of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and won a victory, Yoshio Shinozuka would most likely have been stripped of his position as commander of the First Army by Terauchi Hisaichi.

During the call, Terauchi Hisaichi clearly told Shinozuka Yoshio that he would retire from the position of commander of the North China Front Army in two months.

He hoped that before retreating, the First Army could eliminate the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong and Li Yunlong.

If Yoshio Shinozuka fails to deal with the Jinzhong Eighth Route Army and Li Yunlong, he will be stripped of his title.

Yoshio Shinozuka issued a military order, stating that the First Army would definitely eliminate the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong and Li Yunlong.

"Within three days, the Tongpu Railway, Zhengtai Railway, Pingsui Railway, and various highways were attacked by the Eighth Route Army and their so-called guerrillas, with a total of 50 kilometers of damaged railway lines. Stations and bridges were also attacked and destroyed, with a total of more than 60 stations and bridges damaged."

"Currently, transportation on the three railways has been basically paralyzed, and engineers from various units are working hard to repair the railways. It is estimated that it will take about two months for the three railways to be fully restored to traffic."

"During this period, the garrisons in various counties and stations encountered resistance from the Eighth Route Army on their way to the rescue. The enemy displayed a scale and combat effectiveness beyond our expectations."

"Over 100 battles were fought in three days, killing and wounding approximately 2300 Eighth Route Army soldiers and approximately 6500 casualties among the Locust Army."

Upon hearing this, Yoshio Shinozuka's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

This does not include the losses caused by the shelling of Taiyuan Airport. If the casualties at Taiyuan Airport are counted, the casualties of the First Army will be close to 7000.

Of course, the Japanese suffered the most casualties in this battle in the 25th Brigade and the 20th Division.

Among them, the 25th Brigade suffered the heaviest casualties and was severely damaged, almost losing its combat capability.

Of the 25 infantry battalions of the 8th Brigade, 4 were completely wiped out and 1 was severely damaged.

In addition, the field artillery battalion and cavalry battalion directly under the 108th Division were completely wiped out.

The loss is heavy.

"Don't read the rest, just go down."

Yoshio Shinozuka waved his hand, signaling the operations staff to leave.

The operations staff officer lowered his head, placed the folder on the table, kowtowed, and turned around and walked away quickly.

On the side, Yamamoto Ikki and Mutaguchi Ren'ya's faces gradually turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. They had not expected that the First Army would suffer such heavy casualties.

"I said before the war that the Eighth Route Army's combat target was definitely not the 20th Division."

Yamamoto Ikki glanced at Mutaguchi Ren'ya with a hint of sarcasm on his face.

At the beginning, it was Mutaguchi Renya who insisted that the Eighth Route Army should encircle and annihilate the 20th Division.

The First Army Headquarters also ordered a military train to deliver 20 tons of combat supplies to the 1000th Division.

"Mr. Yamamoto didn't say that the Eighth Route Army's combat target was the 108th Division?" Mutaguchi Ren'ya retorted. As the Major General Chief of Staff of the First Army, he was naturally no less inferior to Yamamoto Ikki.

Yamamoto was suddenly speechless. He predicted that the Eighth Route Army's combat target was not the 20th Division, but he did not predict that it was the 108th Division.

"If it weren't for Mr. Yamamoto's unfavorable intelligence, the 25th Brigade would not have been severely damaged, and Major General Nakano would not have died in battle." Mutaguchi Renya pressed on step by step.

"Stop arguing."

Yoshio Shinozuka snorted coldly, and Mutaguchi Renya didn't dare to speak anymore.

After a pause, Shinozuka Yoshio asked, "General Terauchi has only given us two months to eliminate the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong and Li Yunlong. Yamamoto-kun, Mutaguchi-kun, what good plans do you have?"

This time, Yoshio Shinozuka was really helpless and felt that the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong was extremely difficult to deal with.

Mutaguchi Ren'ya said in a cold tone, "Commander-in-Chief, give me three divisions, 3 tons of combat supplies, and six independent divisions of the Locust Association Army. Within a month, I will definitely crush the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong and kill Li Yunlong."

"What are Mutaguchi-kun's tactics?" Shinozuka Yoshio's expression changed. "The Eighth Route Army's underground tactics are difficult to deal with."

"It's simple. Use a war of attrition," Mutaguchi Ren'ya said. "Use the tactic of artillery bombardment while infantry charges. But instead of having the Locust Army charge, let's have the Locust Support Army charge. Use the Locust Support Army soldiers to wear down the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong."

"The Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong has only over 10,000 men. We can use at most four independent divisions of the Locust Army to consume most of the Eighth Route Army's strength."

"The prerequisite is that there are enough shells and artillery firepower, and two 240mm heavy howitzers need to be used."

Yoshio Shinozuka nodded when he heard this. This was also a good tactic.

The 39th Brigade used this tactic last time to consume a lot of Eighth Route Army troops.

If Li Yunlong had not led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Yangquan, the 39th Brigade might have really entered the Jinzhong base.

"Yamamoto-kun, what do you think?"

Yoshio Shinozuka looked at Ikki Yamamoto and pushed the black-framed glasses on his nose.

Although Yamamoto Ikki failed to fully predict the Eighth Route Army's combat objectives this time, he was at least half right.

Mutaguchi Ren's performance was quite disappointing, as he made a completely wrong prediction.

Therefore, Yoshio Shinozuka is quite optimistic about Yamamoto Ikki's ability. After all, he is a classmate of Itagaki Seishirō, and his strategic vision should not be too bad.

"This tactic is good, but it's difficult to completely eliminate the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong and Li Yunlong!" Yamamoto Ikki said in a deep voice, not afraid of offending anyone and speaking frankly. "The 39th Brigade has proven this tactic effective. Does Yamamoto-kun have a better one?" Mutaguchi Ren'ya raised an eyebrow.

Yamamoto Ikki said solemnly, "Although I don't have a more sophisticated tactic at the moment, Li Yunlong is definitely not a fool like some others. He would never foolishly use his soldiers to carry the locust army's artillery shells. If he finds that his troops are suffering increasing casualties, Li Yunlong will definitely lead the Jinzhong Eighth Route Army and the civilians to leave the Jinzhong area and return after the main force of the locust army retreats."

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Mutaguchi Renya almost went crazy, suspecting that Yamamoto was talking about him, but he had no evidence.

Shinozuka nodded. Yamamoto's analysis made sense. "Yamamoto-kun, in your opinion, how should Mutaguchi-kun's tactics be adjusted?"

Yamamoto Ikki said in a deep voice: "General, I think that our First Army should not only focus on Jinzhong and Li Yunlong."

Mutaguchi Ren'ya asked, "Then where do you think we should focus our attention?"

Yamamoto Ikki looked at the map on the wall and said word by word: "Southeastern Shanxi, Eighth Route Army, Headquarters."

Shinozuka Yoshio's expression suddenly changed: "Yamamoto-kun, has your intelligence department found the location of the Eighth Route Army headquarters?"

"No, as far as we know, the Eighth Route Army headquarters is not located in a county town in southeastern Shanxi, and its location is constantly changing."

Yamamoto shook his head, his eyes suddenly as sharp as a hawk's. "However, our special forces' newly equipped radio has detected the high-power radio station of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, which is in the Liao County area. If my special forces' radio is close to Liao County, we can find the location of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters and carry out a decapitation operation."

Although he encountered setbacks at the Kwantung Army Headquarters and the North China Front Army Headquarters, Yamamoto never gave up on promoting special operations and reforming the Imperial Army's tactics.

If we can successfully behead the Eighth Route Army Headquarters this time, it will definitely teach a lesson to those corrupt imperial officers who look down on special operations.

The times have changed.

Yoshio Shinozuka's eyes lit up. Beheading the Eighth Route Army headquarters was certainly more valuable than killing Li Yunlong.

"Mr. Yamamoto, how confident are you in destroying the Eighth Route Army Headquarters?"

Yoshio Shinozuka pushed his glasses up on his nose and asked with a hint of anticipation.

If the deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army could be killed, not only would his previous sins be wiped out, but he would also have made a great contribution.

"Fifty percent!"

"If I send three divisions to cooperate and attract the attention of the Eighth Route Army's main force, I have an 80% chance of success!"

Yamamoto's words were filled with murderous intent.

"Eighty percent, not low."

Shinozuka Yoshio nodded and said happily:

"Yamamoto-kun, let's plan this matter carefully."

Yamamoto lowered his head: "Hi."

Mutaguchi Ren'ya, who was standing by, had a grim look on his face. His battle plan was actually ignored.

……

Jinzhong Military Region.

Meng County.

New group.

Regiment Headquarters.

"What a great opportunity to recapture Taiyuan, but Yan Laoxi actually missed it."

Xing Zhiguo looked at the telegram in his hand that said the 1st Cavalry Division of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army had suffered heavy losses, shook his head and sighed.

Li Yunlong nodded and said.

"Our Eighth Route Army of the Jinzhong Military Region has severely damaged the Japanese 25th Brigade, rendering it ineffective."

"Even if the Yoshino Regiment and the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment come back to support us, it won't be a big problem."

"If the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army truly wants to recapture Taiyuan, I can order my troops to block the remaining troops of the 108th Division from moving south to reinforce Taiyuan, reinforce the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, and attack Taiyuan together."

"With our new regiment's 105mm howitzer battalion and heavy mortars, we will definitely be able to recapture Taiyuan."

Kong Jie also nodded: "It's a pity that even with such a good opportunity, our Chinese army is still divided, otherwise the devils in Shanxi would not dare to jump like this."

Xing Zhiguo said: "We have too few troops in the Jinzhong Eighth Route Army. If we increase our troops tenfold, we can defeat the First Army and recapture Taiyuan without the need for the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army."

Li Yunlong nodded and said, "We only have so many people in the Jinzhong base area. We need to develop the territory."

Kong Jie's expression changed: "Lao Li, where are you planning to develop?"

Li Yunlong stared at the map, his eyes narrowed, and said, "I plan to send some troops to develop independently and spread out, casting a wide net to quickly expand the army's strength."

"For example, a company of about 150 people is given an area where there are Japanese invaders and puppet troops. We ask them to lead the people in fighting against them. If all goes well, the company can be expanded to 1000 people within six months."

Kong Jie's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea. You're really quick-witted."

Li Yunlong's plan was that the main force of the Jinzhong Military Region would continue to fight against the main force of the Japanese devils to earn weapons, ammunition and combat supplies.

Moreover, in the battles with the Japanese and puppet troops, these newly enlisted soldiers also enhanced their combat effectiveness.

When these companies bring their troops back, these new troops will immediately have weapons.

After a little rest and training, they will become a main force with strong combat effectiveness.

Li Yunlong immediately ordered Ding Wei and Kong Jie to draw 10 infantry companies from each regiment, a total of 30 infantry companies, and ordered them to develop in the guerrilla zone outside the Jinzhong Military Region, and divided the approximate territory for each infantry company.

Before the infantry companies left the Jinzhong base, Li Yunlong convened a meeting of the company commanders and instructors to convey his instructions.

Li Yunlong said after glancing at the company commander and instructors with heroic and resolute faces.

"I know that some of our comrades have objections to my order."

"We've won so many battles and wiped out so many Japanese invaders. Why do we need to spread out and develop our forces?"

"Guerrilla warfare is so boring. Wouldn't it be better to fight alongside the main force?"

"Here, I want to correct the wrong ideas of these comrades!"

Without a political commissar, Li Yunlong had to personally do the ideological work for these comrades.

Li Yunlong continued, "Although we have won several battles and eliminated many Japanese troops, the strength of our Eighth Route Army is still far behind that of the Japanese. Let me not talk about anything else, just the number of troops. The total strength of the Japanese army has reached three million, and they can expand to six or seven million at any time!"

"How many people are there in our Eighth Route Army? When we were first reorganized, there were only 45,000!"

"So, if we want to drive the devils out of China, we will need at least several million troops."

"How do we get the troops? Of course, we have to rely on development!"

"Your mission this time is mainly to go to the designated areas, lead the people in the war, and develop and expand the troops."

"Of course, we won't let you develop for nothing. The regiment will provide weapons, ammunition and food support."

Having said that, Li Yunlong paused and looked at the officers' reactions.

Most of the officers looked more resolute, and Li Yunlong's ideological education was indeed effective.

"Commander, how long will it take us to get back to the main force?" an instructor raised his hand and asked.

"Half a year," Li Yunlong said. "You can return to the main force after half a year. Your mission this time is mainly to develop the troops."

"For example, you are all company commanders and instructors now, with approximately 150 soldiers under your command."

"If the army can grow to 500 to 1,000 people, I will let you be the battalion commander and battalion political instructor."

"If the army grows to more than 2,000 people, I will let you be the regimental commander and political commissar."

"In short, I'll give you a higher rank based on how much you can expand your army!"

"I can also personally promise you that in six months, all your troops will be issued new weapons!"

The eyes of the company commanders and instructors became hot.

This is more promising than being in the main force!
Currently, there are only three regiments in the Jinzhong base area, but some regimental-level troops can be expanded.

Of course, Li Yunlong is still the person in charge of the Jinzhong base.

"Commander," a company commander raised his hand and said, "What if our 12th Company expands to men? Then wouldn't I be able to become a corps commander?"

Li Yunlong recognized him. The boy was called Meng Liang and was the company commander of the 12th Company of the New st Regiment.

Li Yunlong laughed and scolded: "Then I will give you three silver dollars and ask you to get out. I hate bragging officers the most."

The company commander and instructors burst into laughter.

"After you go out as a company, I don't care how you fight. Each company commander has the final say. You can raid the camp, ambush, set traps, bludgeon, kidnap, whatever you want as long as it's against the Japanese and traitors."

"There is only one principle: you can only take advantage and never suffer losses. Don't do business that will lose you money."

"After six months, in addition to the new recruits, it would be best if you could bring something back to our regiment."

"I'm a hungry person and I want everything: food, clothes, guns, ammunition. I don't think too much is enough. If I don't bring back enough, I won't be happy. If I don't bring back anything, I'll curse my mother."

"Of course, I don't want everything. If you bring me a Japanese woman, I don't want it."

The company commanders and instructors burst into laughter, their eyes becoming more expectant and determined.

After some ideological work, some of the opinions in everyone's hearts disappeared. Instead, they all held back their energy. In half a year, it would depend on who brought back more recruits and more supplies.

Li Yunlong's expression was full of strategy, and he nodded with satisfaction: "Let's adjourn the meeting."

(End of this chapter)