Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 446 I don’t understand
"Nani?"

"The Eighth Route Army is attacking Heyuan County. They have at least 30,000 troops?"

Taiyuan, headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

Yoshio Shinozuka was woken up in the middle of the night and his face suddenly turned gloomy after listening to the report from the wartime staff officer on duty.

How can this be?

The 14th Division of the Japanese Locust Army, a Type A division, is stationed in Heyuan County. It has very strong combat effectiveness and is not a second or third-tier division.

Moreover, the 14th Division was not idle during this period. It built three lines of defense on the road from Ping'an County to Heyuan County.

Each line of defense was guarded by at least one elite infantry battalion. The engineers also dug a large number of tunnels and even laid a large number of mines on the roads. In addition, a large number of scouts were sent towards the Eighth Route Army base.

How did the Eighth Route Army manage to break through the three lines of defense of the Locust Army and reach the city of Heyuan County in just a few hours?

Could it be that the 14th Division’s combat effectiveness was so weak that the troops fled at the first sign of danger?
The officers and soldiers of the 14th Division have a high level of understanding of the Bushido spirit, and each of them is ready to serve the Tianhuang at any time. The 14th is not the 4th Division, so it should not collapse at the first touch.

At this time, Yamamoto Ikki, Mutaguchi Ren'ya and other officers were all woken up and came to the operations room.

The duty officer continued to report: "The New 100st Regiment has mobilized six artillery regiments, including three heavy artillery regiments, with approximately 105 heavy artillery pieces of mm or larger caliber. They are fiercely bombarding the locust army positions and city walls outside Heyuan County. Lieutenant General Jingguan requested tactical guidance and requested the dispatch of transport aircraft for air support and the dispatch of aviation units to destroy the Eighth Route Army's artillery and tank units."

"What? 100 heavy artillery pieces?"

Yoshio Shinozuka's voice suddenly rose and he exclaimed in surprise.

His face showed shock and envy.

Even the Japanese First Army did not have 100 heavy artillery pieces.

Even the North China Front Army would find it difficult to use it. Unless there is a large-scale offensive operation, the headquarters will mobilize heavy artillery units for the North China Front Army, and after the operation is completed, the heavy artillery units will be transferred away.

This is also the reason why the Japanese heavy artillery brigade was transferred back and forth. The materials consumed in maintaining a heavy artillery brigade were too huge.

Although dozens of heavy artillery were exposed in the last battle of the New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army.

However, when he heard about the artillery firepower used by the Eighth Route Army this time, Yoshio Shinozuka still felt jealous.

A group of peasants from the mountains actually possessed so many heavy artillery pieces that even the First Army of the Locust Army did not have.

"In addition, the Eighth Route Army in this attack is also equipped with dozens of heavy tanks."

The staff officer on duty suddenly seemed to have thought of something and quickly added another sentence to the report.

"Nani?"

"Dozens of heavy tanks? Are you sure they are heavy tanks?"

Yoshio Shinozuka opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

Mutaguchi Ren on the side also opened his eyes wide and even his breathing became a little rapid.

Yamamoto Ikki couldn't help but shrink his pupils.

The main battle tanks currently equipped by the Japanese army are mainly Type 97 medium tanks. This tank can kill gods and Buddhas on the Chinese battlefield and is unrivaled at the time.

The Type 14 tanks inflicted immense damage on the weakened Chinese army in battles such as the Battle of Nanjing, the Battle of Taierzhuang, and the Battle of Wuhan. Of course, the Japanese army was short of supplies, and the First Army was not equipped with many Type medium-sized tanks, and the th Division was only equipped with a small number.

The First Army did not have a single heavy tank.

The Eighth Route Army was equipped with heavy tanks?
Yoshio Shinozuka felt numb.

"Ha Yi." The duty officer lowered his head. "That's what the 14th Division reported. They also reported that the Eighth Route Army suspected of using a large number of chemical bombs during the battle."

Upon hearing this news, Yoshio Shinozuka became even more jealous.

The Eighth Route Army was equipped with hundreds of heavy artillery pieces, dozens of heavy tanks and dozens of medium tanks that they were already equipped with. It was such a waste of resources!
If I, Yoshio Shinozuka, had these equipments, I would have unified Shanxi long ago!

Mutaguchi Renya asked in a deep voice, "The 14th Division is also equipped with chemical bombs, why didn't they use them?"

The communications officer lowered his head and replied, "The 20th Field Artillery Regiment used chemical bombs, but the Eighth Route Army soldiers all had gas masks. The Eighth Route Army's gas masks could block the erosion of the Locust Army's chemical bombs, but the Locust Army's gas masks could not block the Eighth Route Army's chemical bombs."

Mutaguchi Renya frowned: "Baka..."

Suddenly, the duty officer added, "By the way, according to the 14th Division's report, the Eighth Route Army is also equipped with mine-clearing vehicles."

"Baka." Yamamoto Ikki scolded, "Can't you just report it all at once?"

“Private Marseille!”

The staff officer on duty quickly bowed his head and apologized.

"Your Excellency, Commander, Your Excellency, Commander..."

Mutaguchi Renya called out several times before Shinozuka Yoshio came back to his senses and frowned, "Huh? What's going on?"

Mutaguchi Renya said, "Lieutenant General Iseki has requested combat guidance and aviation reinforcements. How should we respond?"

"I do not understand……"

Shinozuka Yoshio was completely baffled, his brow furrowed so tightly that it could have pinched a fly to death. "Northwest Shanxi has always been under a blockade by the locust army. How did the Eighth Route Army manage to transport so many artillery pieces, artillery shells, and heavy tanks to northwest Shanxi?"

"Even if the Eighth Route Army is equipped with heavy artillery, tanks, mine-clearing vehicles, and chemical bombs, the 14th Division is a standing division of the Locust Army. It shouldn't collapse at the first blow, right?"

"Perhaps..." Mutaguchi Ren'ya tentatively guessed, "There's something wrong with the morale of the 14th Division?"

"Impossible," Yamamoto Ikki interrupted. "The 14th Division is a standing division. I've been there, and everyone, from officers to soldiers, is prepared to fight to the bitter end. Low morale won't be an issue in the 14th Division."

Shinozuka Yoshio: "What exactly happened? How did the Eighth Route Army reach the gates of Heyuan County in just a few hours?"

"General, it seems the 14th Division is indeed experiencing some problems," Yamamoto Ikki advised. "But with all due respect, now is not the time to dwell on this. Judging from the current situation, the Eighth Route Army should not have completely surrounded Heyuan County. We can order the 14th Division to withdraw from Heyuan County immediately. Preserving this fresh force will, on the one hand, help identify the 14th Division's problems, and on the other hand, allow it to fully demonstrate its strength in the next battle in northwestern Shanxi."

Mutaguchi Ren'ya immediately retorted, "Letting the 14th Division hold Heyuan and Anhua counties is a tactic the commander had long ago formulated to deplete the Eighth Route Army's manpower. If the Eighth Route Army's firepower is too strong, the 14th Division's locust troops can be ordered to retreat into the city to engage in street fighting with the Eighth Route Army. At the same time, the 28th Infantry Brigade can be ordered to reinforce Heyuan County, and the 26th Division can be requested from the North China Front Army to reinforce Heyuan County."

Yamamoto Ikki said in a deep voice, "Have you ever considered the consequences of the 14th Division Headquarters and the 27th Infantry Brigade being annihilated?"

Mutaguchi Renya sneered, "As everyone knows, street fighting is extremely brutal. The casualty ratio on both sides is close to one to one. Even if the 14th Infantry Division and the 27th Infantry Brigade were completely destroyed, the Eighth Route Army would still suffer over 28 casualties. Add to that the 26th Infantry Brigade and the th Division supporting them from the outside, and the Eighth Route Army's casualties will definitely approach . Then, the next time the Locust Army attacks with the heavy artillery brigade, what will the Eighth Route Army in northwest Shanxi do to resist?"

(End of this chapter)