Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 342: Not only did I not lose money, I also made a lot of money! (Part )

Yangquan, the training ground of the 39th Brigade of the Japanese Army.

Major General Kenkichi Hirata was secretly observing the training troops through binoculars at the training command center.

Shooting, bayonet fighting, artillery testing, the Japanese soldiers were training enthusiastically on the training ground.

Although the 20th Division is a Type A division, its elite veterans have been greatly depleted after more than a year of fighting.

The new recruits are of good quality, but they lack combat experience and are not as well trained as the veterans.

In a head-on confrontation with the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the 20th Division actually suffered a disadvantage.

This made the 20th Division Commander Ushijima Mitsutomu very dissatisfied, and he ordered the troops to increase the amount of training.

Kenkichi Hirata looked through the telescope in the direction of the bayonet training. Ten new recruits were holding bayonets and conducting bayonet training. Ten Eighth Route Army guerrillas and ordinary people who informed the Eighth Route Army were tied to wooden stakes.

These Eighth Route Army soldiers and civilians were tortured inhumanely by the Japanese devils and beaten until they were covered in blood, but they would rather die than surrender and refused to reveal the location of the Eighth Route Army guerrilla forces.

So the Japanese used these guerrillas and civilians to conduct live assassination training to give courage to the new recruits who had never seen blood.

"Commander, a telegram has arrived from division headquarters."

Chief of Staff Colonel Masao Uwagawa walked in quickly with a telegram:

"The new commander, Lieutenant General Yamawaki, was attacked in Shimen City."

"Nani!"

Kenkichi Hirata turned around abruptly, his expression changing drastically. If the commander of the First Army, Lieutenant General Masataka Yamawaki, was killed halfway, it would not only be a disgrace to the entire First Army, but would also be a huge blow.

The Japanese officers and soldiers of the First Army all thought that Yoshio Shinozuka was too incompetent and hoped to replace him with a commander with strong strategic and tactical command capabilities.

These officers and soldiers had high hopes for the incoming commander of the First Army.

A new official has three things to do when he takes office. Perhaps the new commander of the First Army will lead them to a victory and wash away the shame as soon as he takes office.

Hirata Kenkichi's face was gloomy. "How is Lieutenant General Yamawaki?"

"Lieutenant General Yamawaki is fine," Colonel Uwagawa replied. "Based on the enemy's size and firepower, as well as the direction they fled, headquarters has determined that the attackers were Li Yunlong's special forces."

"The division commander ordered our troops to strictly defend the Yangquan area and be wary of sabotage by the Eighth Route Army special forces."

"Li Yunlong's special forces?"

Kenkichi Hirata breathed a sigh of relief at first, but then his eyes narrowed and his face quickly became gloomy again.

The last time we attacked the Jinzhong base, it was this special forces unit that attacked the field artillery battalion of the 39th Brigade, causing the attack to fail.

Later, he sent troops to pursue them, but hundreds of people were killed, and he was almost dismissed from his post.

Kenkichi Hirata remembers this account clearly.

Taking a deep breath, Kenkichi Hirata said, "Return to the brigade headquarters!"

Colonel Uwagawa lowered his head and said, "Hi."

Kenkichi Hirata and Colonel Uwagawa returned to the brigade headquarters in Yangquan City under the escort of guards.

"The Eighth Route Army Special Forces will definitely pass by Yangquan when they return to the Jinzhong base from Shimen City." Kenkichi Hirata said with narrowed eyes, staring at the map.

Transportation was very underdeveloped in this era, and there were only a few main routes, which were clearly marked on the map.

Colonel Uwagawa asked in a puzzled tone, "There are checkpoints of the Locust Army and the Locust Association near Yangquan. How come the Eighth Route Army Special Forces were not discovered by the Locust Army checkpoints when they were heading from near Yangquan to Shimen City?"

Hirata Kenkichi said, "The Eighth Route Army Special Forces are very good at infiltration, so it's normal that the Locust Army checkpoints didn't find them."

After a pause, Kenkichi Hirata snorted coldly and continued, "That loser Yamamoto, if his special forces were half as strong as the Eighth Route Army's, they would have successfully beheaded the Eighth Route Army headquarters long ago."

Hirata Kenkichi still harbors a grudge against Yamamoto for refusing orders and then biting him back at the First Army Headquarters. He feels a certain satisfaction in the fact that the 108th Division was nearly annihilated, and Shinozuka Yoshio and Yamamoto Ikki were dismissed.

"Chinese bandits have a saying, 'I built this road and I planted these trees. If you want to pass through here, you have to leave money for passage.'" Kenkichi Hirata's eyes were filled with murderous intent as his gaze wandered over the map.

"Mr. Brigade Commander, do you want to set up an ambush along the way to destroy the Eighth Route Army Special Forces?" Masao Uwagawa's expression changed.

"That's right!" Hirata Kenkichi nodded, his face solemn. "Although this unit is small in number, its combat effectiveness is extremely strong. According to confirmed intelligence, the previous commander of our 39th Brigade, Major General Sekigahara Roku, was killed by this special forces unit of the Eighth Route Army."

After Major General Takagi Yoshito was killed, Sekigahara Roku also flew to Shimen City, and then planned to take a train to Yangquan to take up the post of commander of the 39th Brigade.

However, not long after Sekigahara Roku got off the plane, he was attacked by the Eighth Route Army Special Forces and his head and body were separated.

Uwagawa Masao said in a serious tone, "The Eighth Route Army's special forces are very mysterious. So far, we only know their name is the Sharp Blade Commando. They are a strategic-level unit under Li Yunlong's command. They pose a huge threat to the Locust Army's artillery units and various headquarters. If we can eliminate them, it will be a great achievement."

Then, Uwagawa Masao looked at the battle map.

The Japanese's combat maps are much more accurate than the Chinese army's maps.

In order to invade China, the Japanese sent a large number of spies and agents to sneak into various parts of China to draw maps over the years.

In combat, capturing a Japanese map is more important than capturing several Japanese cannons.

"Laoyukou."

Uwagawa Masao pointed to a fork in the road northeast of Yangquan and said in a deep voice:
"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, if the Eighth Route Army Special Forces return to Meng County from the area north of Jingxing County, Laoyukou is the place they must pass through!"

Kenkichi Hirata looked at Laoyukou on the map. A small road ran from east to west from the direction of Jingxing County, and then forked into two roads at Laoyukou, one leading to Mengxian County and the other leading to Yangquan.

"Yoshi." Hirata Kenkichi's expression grew serious. "We'll ambush the Eighth Route Army Special Forces at Laoyukou. Uwagawa-kun, order the 1st Infantry Battalion to prepare for departure!"

"Your Excellency, the 1st Infantry Battalion alone isn't enough," Uwagawa Masao exclaimed. "This Eighth Route Army Special Forces unit is armed with all-automatic firepower, and every one of them is a sharpshooter, never missing a shot. To be on the safe side, we should deploy two infantry battalions, or even an infantry regiment."

Hirata Kenkichi said, "Uwagawa-kun, you're exaggerating the Eighth Route Army Special Forces. Their combat effectiveness isn't as strong as you think."

"First, I don't have that many troops at my disposal right now. Second, if I send out too many troops, it will inevitably attract the enemy's attention. There are spies of the Eighth Route Army inside and outside Yangquan City."

Although Kenkichi Hirata had two infantry regiments under his command, Niangzi Pass, Pingding and all railway stations required garrison troops.

In addition, troops had to be sent to guard against the 129th Division in southeastern Shanxi and the Eighth Route Army in Jinzhong to prevent sudden attacks by the Eighth Route Army. There were only two infantry battalions stationed in Yangquan, the 1st Infantry Battalion and the 2nd Infantry Battalion.

Yuhechuan said worriedly: "In the case of an ambush, the firepower of the Eighth Route Special Forces is too strong. Even if we can eliminate the Eighth Route Special Forces, I am afraid our casualties will be heavy."

"The firepower of the Eighth Route Army Special Forces is indeed very strong."

Hirata Kenkichi nodded, his eyes thoughtful, and then said:

"Incorporate the light and heavy machine gun teams, artillery squads, and grenade launcher teams from the 2nd Infantry Battalion into the 1st Infantry Battalion to form a temporary reinforced battalion. Bring dry food and ammunition and depart at : AM tonight."

After a pause, Hirata Kenkichi said without question: "This time, I will lead the battle to eliminate the Eighth Route Army Special Forces!"

The total strength of the 20th Division's infantry battalion was more than 1000 people. Each battalion was equipped with 48 light and heavy machine guns, 2 infantry guns, 36 grenade launchers, and about 600 rifles.

If the heavy firepower of the 2nd Battalion is incorporated into the 1st Infantry Battalion, the firepower of the 1st Infantry Battalion will be greatly enhanced.

Colonel Uwagawa was suddenly startled and quickly advised: "Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, let me go. I will definitely lead the troops to destroy the Eighth Route Army Special Forces and avenge the deaths of Major Generals Takagi and Sekigahara."

Hirata Kenkichi shook his head and said, "You stay in Yangquan. The day after tomorrow, the investigation team from the North China Front Command will arrive in Yangquan to investigate the Eighth Route Army's acquisition of a large amount of weapons and ammunition. This is a matter of great importance, and the investigation team must not be harmed. You will go to Yangquan Station to greet them on my behalf."

"Hi." Colonel Uwagawa could only lower his head and obey.

As chief of staff, he only has the right to make suggestions and obey orders. He has no decision-making power and can only follow orders.

As the brigade commander, Kenkichi Hirata also had the right to mobilize an infantry battalion without asking for permission from the division headquarters.

(End of this chapter)