Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Neither the New Fourth Regiment nor the New Sixth Regiment were able to complete the tasks assigned before the battle. In the end, it was only with the help of the Independent Third Regiment and the Chaxi Detachment's direct regiment that they were able to annihilate the Japanese troops in the encirclement.

By the time we cleaned up the battlefield and evacuated, eight hours had passed.

Chapter 379 Union

After eight hours of fighting, it was already night.

A troop of several thousand men was marching in the pitch-black night.

"How about it?"

"Except for the seventy or so who escaped, all the other Japanese and puppet troops were annihilated. However, we did kill Colonel Mano Keikyuu of the Japanese Second Independent Battalion. A quick count shows 1187 Japanese killed and around 200 puppet troops. Including the captured Japanese and puppet troops, we estimate that over 1300 Japanese troops were dispatched this time, and around 500 puppet troops. As for the results of the New Sixth Regiment's Third Battalion's blocking attack, it's difficult to calculate.

The troops' withdrawal from the battlefield was quite hasty.

Because the Third Battalion of the New Sixth Regiment was responsible for blocking the Japanese reinforcements, more than half of them were killed or wounded.

The Third Battalion's position could be overrun by the Japanese at any moment. Allowing Japanese reinforcements to rush in would be detrimental to the already exhausted and heavily wounded troops. Furthermore, the battle had dragged on for far too long, and if the stalemate continued, even the 13th Regiment stationed in Jining would likely send reinforcements. So, despite still possessing several thousand men, Gao Wei decided to withdraw from the battlefield.

After cleaning up the battlefield and briefly tallying the results, the troops withdrew. Fortunately, the Japanese had their concerns. They stationed two independent battalions in Huaian, along with an independent artillery unit and an independent machine gun unit reorganized by the newly appointed commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, Goro Mano.

The total number is only more than 2,000.

Mano Keijiu had taken too many troops with him on this mission. The number of Japanese troops remaining in Huaian was already very small. Huaian had sent three infantry squadrons as reinforcements, which was the maximum Huaian could send. Currently, Huaian only had three or four hundred troops left, plus a few police officers, a pitifully small number. It could be said that Huaian was in a very dangerous situation right now. If the Eighth Route Army truly determined, even sending two or three regiments wouldn't be enough to save Huaian. Therefore, the Japanese army didn't dare to be careless.

Of course, another reason was that the Japanese reinforcements were blocked by the Third Battalion of the New Sixth Regiment.

The Japanese fought for over two hours but were unable to capture the Third Battalion's position. This made the Japanese somewhat wary of the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness, and even more so of its sheer numbers. After all, to ambush 1,700 to 1,800 Japanese and puppet troops, the Eighth Route Army must have had at least 4,000 to 5,000 men. The Japanese reinforcements numbered less than 500, so naturally they were wary. Therefore, after Gao Wei led his troops to withdraw from the battlefield, the Japanese did not blindly pursue them.

Lu Weisheng and Gao Wei discussed the situation of this battle.

Lu Weisheng told Gao Wei the statistical results.

"What about the spoils?"

"The spoils were plentiful. In particular, we captured 52 intact light and heavy machine guns and over 20 damaged ones. I took a look at the damaged ones and, after repairing them, we should be able to provide the troops with seven or eight more. There were also five intact infantry guns, with 90 rounds of ammunition. The Japanese didn't even have time to use them in this battle, as we captured them. In addition to the infantry guns and light and heavy machine guns, we also captured 12 ammunition barrels, three flat-firing guns, and approximately 3 Type 1070 rifles. These puppet troops were well-equipped, all wearing Type rifles."

"Ok.

The spoils were quite plentiful.

Lu Weisheng was particularly satisfied with the seizure of light and heavy machine guns.

The Chaxi Detachment has been growing rapidly, even acquiring access to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's arsenal. However, its rapid expansion over the years has left it struggling to keep up with its weapons and ammunition. When the Chaxi Detachment, also known as the Ninggao Town Detachment, was established, its main force consisted of only about 5,000 men. However, after years of development, the Chaxi Detachment now boasts a guard regiment and a special forces regiment directly under the detachment, as well as four independent regiments, bringing its main force to over 10,000 men. Adding to this the number of local troops being trained, the Chaxi Detachment has nearly 20,000 troops at its disposal. Half of these troops struggle to maintain a single gun, and even fewer have light or heavy machine guns.

It's not just the Chaxi Detachment that's like this; the other units in the column are the same.

The Eighth Column expanded too quickly.

Although the Eighth Column used various methods to enrich its arsenal, weapons and ammunition were still seriously insufficient. A look at the weapons and equipment of the New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments shows this. The weapons and equipment of the New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments were mainly Hanyang-made, with a small number of light machine guns. Heavy machine guns were basically not seen.

Five infantry guns are even more valuable.

Although it only had 90 rounds of ammunition, this was an infantry gun. The Eighth Route Army was most short of siege weapons, and infantry guns were the best siege weapon the Eighth Route Army currently had.

"Where are our casualties?"

"throat"

Lu Weisheng sighed.

His face was very solemn as he said, "The specific situation has not been fully counted, but the preliminary statistical results are out. The New Fourth Regiment lost about 260 people, with about 170 seriously injured. Together with the lightly wounded, the casualties totaled more than 900. The New Fourth Regiment's First Battalion Commander and the Second Battalion Political Instructor, two battalion-level cadres, were killed, and 14 company-level cadres were killed. The New Sixth Regiment lost about 390 people, with more than 240 seriously injured, and more than 1200 casualties. The New Sixth Regiment's commander, Zhang Shan, was injured and unconscious, and the Second Battalion Commander, the Second Battalion Political Instructor, the Third Battalion Commander, and the First Battalion Political Instructor were seriously injured. 27 company-level cadres were killed. Most of the New Sixth Regiment's casualties were caused by repeated battles with the Japanese for high ground and when blocking Japanese reinforcements. The New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments were completely crippled and could not fight for several months."

“独立三团牲310人左右，重伤70人上下，伤亡700人左右。警卫团牺牲130人上下，总伤亡350人左右。此战我们部队总体伤亡超过3000人。

Gao Wei didn't say anything.

But frowned deeply.

Although I thought the Japanese troops who ambushed me were strong and well-equipped, I didn't expect them to suffer such heavy casualties. It was clearly an ambush, but the casualties were ridiculously high.

Originally, Gao Wei was considering ambushing only five or six hundred Japanese soldiers this time.

If this were the case, ambushing a force of 1800 to men with three regiments should have been relatively easy. The battle could have been resolved within an hour or two, with casualties limited to a few hundred men. Furthermore, the battle would have provided the New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments with battlefield training. Unexpectedly, they encountered approximately Japanese and puppet troops.

This immediately made the battle difficult.

The New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments were not trained on the battlefield, but were severely damaged by this battle. As a new regiment participating in a battle of such a scale, the casualties of the troops were simply uncontrollable.

However, Gao Wei admires Wei Hongjun, the political commissar, very much.

The New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments were both newly recruited. Yet, despite such heavy casualties, the troops hadn't collapsed. If it were any other newly recruited regiment, with such heavy casualties, they wouldn't have been able to continue the battle.

Gao Wei and Lu Weisheng were both silent.

After a while, Gao Weicai said, "After returning, immediately let the New Fourth and New Sixth Regiments rest and regroup. They should not participate in the next anti-mopping-up operation. Also, send someone to contact the Chabei Detachment immediately and tell them that the two groups will jointly participate in the anti-mopping-up operation in Xinghe County. Our Chaxi Detachment will be responsible for the Second Battalion of the 13th Regiment, and the Chabei Detachment will be responsible for the Third Battalion of the 13th Regiment."

Currently, the only Japanese forces threatening the Chaxi and Chabei bases are the 13th Regiment and the 13nd Independent Mixed Brigade. The 13nd Independent Mixed Brigade has almost no mobile forces to participate in the mopping-up operation, leaving only the th Regiment. If our two forces can eliminate the two battalions of the th Regiment, we will be victorious in this counter-mopping-up operation. Furthermore, we can expand our base around Jining."

The Japanese army has been fighting non-stop for a year since the Hundred Regiments Campaign of the Eighth Route Army.

Casualties have been high.

The Hundred Regiments Campaign, the Xuanhuai Campaign, the Wanping Campaign, the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign launched by the Eighth Column, and the Baotou Campaign led by the 35th Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army meant that the Japanese army's supply of troops could not keep up with casualties. Many units had no time to recruit new soldiers, and some even had to go into battle just as they had been recruited. As a result, the Eighth Route Army gained the upper hand in Chahar.

As long as the two battalions of the 13th Regiment were eliminated, the Eighth Route Army would have an absolute advantage within the ten or so counties between Datong, Zhangjiakou, and Jining. By then, both the Chaxi and Chabei detachments would be able to develop rapidly.

"Okay. I'll send someone to contact the Chabei Detachment right away."

When the Chaxi Detachment ambushed the Japanese Army's 26nd Independent Mixed Brigade, two battalions of the 13th Regiment of the th Division of the Japanese Army had already entered Xinghe County.

Before this, the 13th Regiment in Jining did not dare to move at all.

This was because Fu Zuoyi's troops were too powerful in Suiyuan. Compared to the Eighth Route Army, his troops were not short of money, weapons, or ammunition. Furthermore, Fu Zuoyi was able to manage his troops, so the Suiyuan troops, led by the 35th Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, were extremely powerful.

The Baotou Campaign launched earlier directly wiped out an entire Japanese cavalry brigade.

Fortunately, the 13th Independent Mixed Brigade was pulled to Suiyuan, temporarily suppressing the growing number of Fu Zuoyi's troops. Therefore, this time the th Regiment was able to send two battalions to sweep Xinghe County.

The Japanese army's goal was clear.

They no longer divided their troops into groups to conduct sweeps everywhere as before, but instead went straight to the Independent 1st Regiment and the Xinghe Self-Defense Corps left in Xinghe County by the Chaxi Detachment.

The 1st Independent Regiment and the Xinghe Self-Defense Corps certainly did not dare to confront the Japanese army head-on.

The Independent 1st Regiment is Gao Wei's most loyal unit.

But they would never confront a single independent Japanese battalion head-on. So they could only retreat, with the main force preparing to break out and attack the Japanese supply lines from the outside. However, Xinghe County was only taken by the Chaxi Detachment a few months ago, and the base was unstable.

The fight was quite tough.

Feng Mulin in Shangyi County is studying the next plan.

"Commander, this is a telegram from Commander Gao Wei of the Chaxi Detachment."

"Let me see."

Feng Mulin took the telegram and glanced at it, then couldn't help but say, "Alright, with the Chaxi Detachment's attack, it's a question whether the Mongolian garrison can hold on to Huaian and Xuanhua. As long as we take down Huaian and Xuanhua, the Japanese army will only have Zhangjiakou here.

The troops stationed in Mongolia seem to be quite large.

The 26th Division, the nd Independent Mixed Brigade, the th Independent Mixed Brigade, the Cavalry Group, and the garrisons along the Ping-Sui Road all combined to nearly men. However, this was only a nominal figure. The Mongolian garrison had a large area to cover, and had suffered a series of defeats in recent years.

None of these troops stationed in Mongolia are fully staffed.

All the troops combined numbered less than 26. The th Cavalry Brigade was still in the Zhongtiao Mountains, and the th Division's headquarters was in Datong. In other words, the combined forces stationed in Mongolia in the vast Chahar and Suiyuan regions actually numbered less than .

However, this time they were ambushed by the Chaxi Detachment and lost more than a thousand men. Now there were only about 2,000 Japanese troops around Zhangjiakou, including those in Zhangjiakou.

It is very difficult to defend Zhangjiakou, Xuanhua and Huaian with such a small number of troops.

"Commander, Commander Gao Wei invited us to go south and help them deal with the 13th Regiment.

"It's time to help."

Feng Mulin didn't hesitate at all.

The Chaxi and Chabei detachments were parallel units. Without the command of the column, neither could lead the other. After all, Gao Wei and Feng Mulin were currently on the same level. If it were Zhang Zihua, commander of the Chanan detachment, or Xiao Yongshi, commander of the Pingbei detachment, the situation would be different.

Because both of them are deputy commanders of the 8th Column, they can fully command the surrounding troops under some special circumstances.

But now is an important moment for counter-raiding.

Moreover, the successful anti-mopping-up operation in Xinghe County is also beneficial to the Chabei Detachment.

Huang Yanjun, commander of the Sixth Independent Regiment, echoed, "I also think we should help. We are all members of the Eighth Route Army, all affiliated with the Eighth Column, so it's only natural for us to help each other. And as long as we join forces with the Chaxi Detachment to severely damage the Japanese 13th Regiment, we will have an absolute advantage in the ten or so counties around Jining, Datong, and Zhangjiakou. By then, the Japanese troops in this area will have no choice but to retreat to the three major cities of Datong, Jining, and Zhangjiakou, and the other counties will become our bases. Once we control these counties, we may even have a chance to capture Zhangjiakou and Jining."

Feng Mulin nodded.

What Huang Yanjun said was exactly what Feng Mulin was thinking.

This battle must be fought.

The Chaxi and Chabei detachments had no history of cooperation, and Gao Wei and Feng Mulin were not very familiar with each other. Although both were from independent regiments, Gao Wei came from the Long March of the Central Red Army, while Feng Mulin was from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Red Army.

But now we are all part of the Eighth Column, so we still have to cooperate.

Feng Mulin was thinking about how to fight.

How to fight to achieve the best results. Feng Mulin looked at the map and asked, "How many people are there in the Japanese 13th Regiment?"

Chapter 380 Encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao

"The normal strength is around 2600. The 13th Regiment has been engaged in frequent battles with some of our guerrilla units recently, and replenishment has been delayed. Currently, there are probably fewer than 2500."

"Did the Chaxi Detachment tell us how many Japanese troops they dispatched?

"There's no specific information. But it's said that the Japanese sent two battalions, plus an infantry artillery unit.

"Two battalions, plus an infantry battery."

Feng Mulin began to calculate.

"The Japanese 26th Division has a relatively simple organization, and the infantry regiments don't have too many messy things. Besides the regiment headquarters, there are three battalions, plus an infantry artillery unit and a communications unit. The 13th Regiment dispatched two battalions and an infantry artillery unit, and the communications unit must have gone to the battlefield as well. So, the Japanese 13th Regiment only has the regiment headquarters and one battalion in Jining. Each battalion of the 13th Regiment only has to people."

The 26th Division was not one of the four-regiment Type A divisions of the Japanese Army, but was the first three-regiment division of the Japanese Army in China.

The 26th Division was created to wipe out the Eighth Route Army in the occupied areas.

Therefore, the organization of the 26th Division is different from that of the field regiment.

The compilation is relatively simple.

The 26th Division's battalion had about the same strength as the independent battalions of the independent mixed brigade, both at 4000 to 2600 men. A regiment, unlike a field regiment, had nearly men, at only about .

"Commander, are you planning to attack Jining?"

Zhao Junyou, commander of the 7th Independent Regiment, asked a question.