Film and Television World Life Record

They managed to leave most of the Japanese soldiers here in one fell swoop.

This plan was originally very likely to succeed. Since the Japanese invasion, they had been unstoppable. Not only were they arrogant, but the competition between their divisions was also fierce, with each division wanting to take the lead and impress the other divisions.

With just a little enticement, each department will inevitably vie for the great achievement of opening up the north-south passage, and the plan and objectives will naturally be achieved.

However, Li Mu's arrival completely changed the style of the story.

Such a large division, a highly touted elite force, was wiped out in a short period of time.

This not only boosted domestic morale and gave the people confidence in the war effort, but also dealt a blow to many of Japan's troops.

If such an elite 5th Division was wiped out, how could they possibly win if they encountered it?

Is there any danger? Will we follow the same path as the 5th Division?

No one can answer these questions.

Commander Li was already troubled. Given the current situation, what method could be used to lure the Japanese to the south and into the battlefield that had been prepared for them?

After the incident of thousands of Japanese soldiers being burned in Tengxian, all the plans and enticements turned into a sigh. The Japanese were already on edge, and now with thousands of soldiers killed for no reason, they would be even more sensitive and would not continue to advance south.

While Commander Li was struggling with this dilemma, Isogai, the commander of the 10th Division, was also under immense pressure and unable to make up his mind.

He faced two paths: one was to attack, capture Xuzhou, and open up the north-south transportation line; the other was to defend and consolidate his current gains.

Two paths, one radical and one conservative, make it difficult to choose.

In fact, if given a choice, Isogai would have opted for the conservative approach; of course, there are no "what ifs" in life.

Since the invasion began, the casualties have been quite severe, including the thousands who were burned.

With such heavy casualties and severe attrition, and no significant achievements to date, choosing a conservative approach at this point would indeed reduce the danger for the 10th Division, but it would ruin his personal future.

In fact, this is not just a matter of future prospects. Faced with such heavy casualties, someone has to be held responsible, and he, as the division commander, is the best person to take responsibility.

He was not going to take a cesarean section lightly; he certainly didn't want that to happen to him.

Since the conservative approach is not feasible, we have no choice but to take a radical approach.

Although the 10th Division suffered considerable losses, it still had a large number of personnel, was well-trained, and possessed formidable firepower.

If we were to head south at this time and seize Xuzhou, thus opening up the north-south artery and connecting the northern and southern parts of Japan, it would be an immense achievement.

If he succeeds, he will not only be innocent, but will also have made a great contribution.

Faced with these two choices, which one to choose seems easy to answer!

Having made the decision, the 10th Division reorganized its troops the following day and prepared to march south to Xuzhou.

When Commander Li received the news, he was a little stunned. He hadn't even come up with a solution yet, and the Japanese had already moved south. Weren't they afraid of being surrounded and annihilated?

He was a smart man, and after thinking for a while, he naturally understood and was overjoyed.

……

At the 10th Division's headquarters, all units were ready, and Isogai began pre-battle mobilization.

"Gentlemen, I know you are all deeply saddened. We lost too many excellent soldiers in Tengxian. But for the sake of the battles to come, let us temporarily forget about these losses. Our current objective is Xuzhou. Only by taking it can we open up both the northern and southern fronts. This is a glorious and immense mission."

"Now, I need you warriors to conquer cities and seize strongholds for the 10th Division. From this moment forward, I will personally command the battle! Let us take it down together..."

Despite his less-than-stellar oratory skills, Isogai still captivated many officers.

Everyone eagerly declared, "Division Commander! The Seya Detachment is willing to be the vanguard for the division!"

"Your Excellency Division Commander, the Matsushita Detachment is willing to be the vanguard."

"Commander, the Inoue Detachment is willing to be the vanguard!"

……

Seeing that everyone was full of fighting spirit and no longer as disheartened as before, Isogai suddenly became confident.

As an elite division under the Japanese command, he was well aware of the combat capabilities of his own troops and also understood the combat capabilities of the enemy. Despite knowing the risks of heading south, he was unwilling to believe that he would lose.

Or rather, it's about avoiding the option of losing.

Isogai, of course, wouldn't waste his subordinates' fighting spirit. After a moment's contemplation, he said to Matsushita, "Matsushita-kun, this time, I've decided to appoint you as the vanguard, giving you the opportunity to establish merit! The main force of the division has now assembled. Let's go to Taierzhuang! That's where our 10th Division will establish its glory. As the vanguard, are you confident, Matsushita-kun?"

Commander Matsushita immediately stood up: "Hai! Thank you for your trust, Division Commander! I will use guns and bayonets to take Taierzhuang."

Isogai was in high spirits: "Matsushita-kun, remember your words. If we take Taierzhuang, I will personally recommend you for credit."

Captain Matsushita bowed his head and said, "Hai!"

……

On March 23, the 3th Division finally moved south.

They displayed remarkable bravery. As soon as the mission was assigned, the vanguard charged straight towards the front line with a desperate gamble, hoping to seize the first credit for opening up the Jinpu Railway.

By the 25th, the vanguard of the Isogai Division had captured Hanjang and was now facing off against the domestic garrison across the canal.

At this time, the focus of the battle in southern Shandong had shifted to the Jinpu Railway on the left flank. Suddenly, two routes appeared before the vanguard of the Isogai Division: one was to advance south along the Jinpu Railway and head straight for Xuzhou; the other was to expand southeast, capture Taierzhuang, break through the Grand Canal defense line, and then take Xuzhou to the west.

In fact, for the Japanese, this stretch of road seemed to offer two options, but under the Fifth War Zone's deployment, there was really only one option: Taierzhuang.

This is why Isogai didn't mention the other route at all when assigning the task.

The area south of Hanzhuang on the Jinpu Railway front is mountainous, which is not conducive to offensive operations. Moreover, it is only possible to advance along the railway line, and its points and lines are vulnerable to attacks from large flank defense forces. On the other hand, the area from Zaozhuang, Yixian to Taierzhuang on the east side of the Jinpu Railway is flat, which is conducive to the deployment of mechanized troops and is most suitable for the Japanese.

Furthermore, occupying this area would provide flank cover for the Japanese forces advancing south along the Jinpu Railway, while also preparing for the attack on Xuzhou—a win-win situation.

Needless to say, Matsushita naturally chose the planned route. Now, all he could see was Taierzhuang. He, Matsushita, not only wanted to capture Taierzhuang and Xuzhou, but also to continue fighting across the Huai River, achieving a glorious victory that connected the north and south battlefields!

Chapter 433 Weapons and Airports

After the fire in Teng County, the weather was not good for the next few days, with low visibility at night, making it unsuitable for a night raid.

Furthermore, as far as he knew, the Battle of Taierzhuang would last for more than half a month, and our side would ultimately win. There was no need to rush in headlong. It would be a loss if the Fifth War Zone's encirclement and suppression preparations weren't even complete before scaring away the Japanese 10th Division.

So Li Mu had some free time and took advantage of those few days to secretly travel to Hankou by speedboat.

After the fall of Nanjing, Wuhan's importance became increasingly prominent. Many important departments of the government moved there, and the influx of a large population created a somewhat abnormal prosperity.

The two million US dollars worth of various supplies purchased last time have been mostly sold, and the profits are naturally substantial.

With more and more forces involved in the acquisition of pig bristles and tung oil, stockpiling has become increasingly difficult, and this time the amount of stockpiled is even smaller.

After a brief consideration, Li Mu decided to stop these two businesses and no longer participate, letting the domestic forces fight over them.

After spending a day in Hankou and settling things there, he headed to Singapore again.

……

Three days later, the pig bristles and tung oil were delivered, bringing in a little over five hundred thousand US dollars—less than expected. Li Mu smiled faintly, not too bothered, since he had already decided to stop these two businesses.

Next, they focused on reselling various military supplies back into the country, again making several times the profit. With the foreign currency and gold reserves held by these warlords and large merchants in China, this business should be able to continue for a long time.

Then, the penicillin business should also take off.

After learning about the Far East Trading Company's development over this period, Li Mu began to receive the various weapons and equipment that had been purchased.

First, there were two bullet production lines, one artillery shell production line, and two hand grenade production lines.

These production lines were ordered a long time ago, and it wasn't easy to finally get them.

With these, we would have the capability to produce bullets, shells, and grenades. As long as we have the raw materials, we won't need to purchase these items anymore, saving money and freeing ourselves from dependence on others.

The corresponding factories have already been built domestically, and some technical personnel have been recruited. As long as the production line is brought back and slightly debugged, mass production can begin immediately.

Not only that, the batch of weapons we purchased some time ago has also arrived.

First, there are the anti-aircraft weapons: the Solothurn ST-5 20mm autocannon and the Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun.

Specifically, it consisted of eighty Solothurn ST-5 20mm autocannons and thirty Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns, plus more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition.

Li Mu will rely on these two weapons to form an air defense battalion to maintain air security in Nanyang.

Then there were two more weapons to be unveiled. One was the Rhein-style 350mm heavy howitzer. As a heavy artillery piece, its power was self-evident, with a single shell weighing more than 40 kilograms.

They were simply unstoppable, killing everything in their path. A single cannonball could obliterate a large area of ​​ordinary city walls and fortresses.

The total cost of the twenty heavy cannons was $900,000, plus 10,000 shells, which were also quite valuable. The purchase price was extremely high!

Another key weapon is the "Praga LT-38 light tank". Although it is a light tank, it is still a tank. In terms of combat power, it is much stronger than the thin iron plate of the Japanese.

Each unit cost $1.8, and Li Mu purchased thirty units, enough to form an armored battalion when he returned.

The final shipment received consisted of 40,000 Mauser 98k rifles, without ammunition, at $25 each, for a total value of one million US dollars.

After receiving these, Li Mu purchased a large quantity of gasoline, gunpowder raw materials, steel, and other military supplies…

It cost another million dollars to finally fill the space.

……

However, he also plans to order some equipment and weapons, such as aircraft.

Realizing the importance of airplanes to him, Li Mu studied the world's mainstream fighter jets and finally selected a few good ones.

For example, the I-16, which officially debuted in 1935, was the world's first low-wing monoplane fighter with a rigid shell structure, and it pioneered the use of new civilian aircraft technologies such as retractable landing gear and variable-pitch propellers.

This innovative design can significantly reduce air resistance.

Pre-World War II fighter planes looked small and compact, so the Soviet military nicknamed them "donkeys".