Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

I originally thought that with the 13 men of the 3000th Regiment and the 3000 puppet troops who came to reinforce them, we should be able to hold Jining. But who could have imagined that the Eighth Route Army would just fire artillery and some of their men would flee.

It immediately disrupted his deployment.

Although the situation on the north and south sides is better than here, how much better can it be? The Jining city wall is really useless. Although I rebuilt the wall myself, it is still a paper wall.

Not to mention howitzers, mountain guns, field guns, and infantry guns, even if mortars, flat-fire guns, and rapid-fire guns had enough shells, they could blow down the city wall and tear a hole in it.

Without the protection of the city walls, the Japanese army could not engage in street fighting with the Eighth Route Army in Jining.

To put it bluntly, the Japanese army hadn't done anything good in Jining over the years. The people of Jining hated them deeply. If his troops were left alone in Jining, they might be killed by the locals.

Under the current circumstances, even if we can temporarily withstand the attack of the Eighth Route Army, it will not last for a few days.

Look at the number of mortars, flat-fire cannons, grenade launchers, and heavy machine guns deployed by the attacking troops. Even the elite Japanese troops after the July 7 Incident could not withstand the firepower of the Eighth Route Army.

What's more, the current 13th Regiment has no idea how many times it has been replenished with new recruits.

The combat effectiveness is inherently weak.

"Colonel, please retreat."

"Jining is about to be lost. Where should we retreat to?"

"Guisui, if Guisui doesn't work, we can retreat to Baotou. Colonel, Baotou has the 118th Independent Mixed Brigade. No, it's the 118th Division now. We can retreat to Baotou and link up with the th Division. There are still many troops of the Mengjiang United Autonomous Government there, and we will be safe there."

"118th Division, 118th Division."

Saito Jiro smiled bitterly.

The headquarters intends to rebuild the Mongolian garrison and equip it with the 115th, 118th, and tank divisions. It sounds like the Mongolian garrison will soon undergo significant expansion. After all, the Mongolian garrison will then possess three infantry divisions: the 26th, 115th, and 118th. Adding the powerful tank division, its strength will even surpass that of the First Army of the North China Front.

Unfortunately, these are just plans. Where is the 115th Division? Where is the 118th Division? Where is the Tank Division?

The 115th Division was based on the 118nd Independent Mixed Brigade. But there's no such thing now; it was completely annihilated by the th Column, and even the Mongolian Army Headquarters was wiped out. The th Division was based on the th Independent Mixed Brigade, but it's currently in Baotou and understaffed due to a lack of timely recruitment.

Was the number given?

But what about people?

Now the entire Pingsui Road was controlled by the Eighth Route Army, and the Japanese army did not know how to replenish new soldiers. It was unknown when the so-called reconstruction of the Mongolian garrison would be completed.

Although it was called the 118th Division, it was actually the 4000th Independent Mixed Brigade, with less than men. Once Jining was lost, the th Independent Mixed Brigade would find it increasingly difficult to stay in Baotou.

After all, Baotou is in the western part of Suiyuan.

Without the Ping-Sui Railway, how could the troops in Baotou get their weapons, ammunition, and supplies? Without them, how could the Japanese and puppet troops in Baotou fight? Not to mention the powerful Fu Zuoyi forces in Wuyuan, not far from Baotou. Fu Zuoyi's forces currently numbered tens of thousands.

Retreating to Baotou only delayed the time of destruction.

However, looking at the deputy commander with an expectant look on his face, Saito Jiro nodded.

He said, "Notify the northern and southern troops to take turns covering the retreat. Evacuate Jining from the west gate and retreat towards Baotou."

"Yes."

Sanguo was very happy at once. He did not want to die in Jining. According to the current situation, if the troops did not retreat, they would inevitably be annihilated.

Now that Saito Jiro has decided to retreat, things will be much easier.

Watching Vice Commander Sanguo leave at once, Saito Jiro's face showed a look of determination. As a colonel-ranked officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, he could not abandon the city and flee. This was related to his military honor.

He couldn't retreat.

So he took the pistol from his waist and pointed it at his temple.

Saito Jiro couldn't figure it out.

How could he have ended up like this? How could he have died here? After the July 26 Incident, he had fought with the troops throughout the country, conquering all before him. Later, he was transferred to the 26th Division, thinking it would be a piece of cake to wipe out the Eighth Route Army guerrillas. Unexpectedly, his arrival in the th Division would prove to be the Waterloo of his military career. The Eighth Route Army was stronger than he had imagined.

But he was not afraid, because this was the fate of a soldier. After losing Jining, he had no face to go back and see the others.

"Bang! Saito Jiro shot himself, ending his sinful life.

Hearing the gunshots from the command room, some people from the regiment headquarters immediately ran in. Seeing that Saito Jiro had committed suicide, they all looked lifeless. The battle was currently going so badly, and the front line was in such a critical situation.

The captain actually committed suicide.

What to do now?

The entire regiment headquarters lost all morale in an instant and was in a panic.

Somehow, news of Saito Jiro's suicide spread, and the already shaky morale of the Japanese troops began to panic.

By the time the three Japanese troops deployed on both sides of the south retreated alternately, they received the news at once, the Japanese positions at the east gate had already been breached.

The 80th Regiment broke through the Japanese defense line.

When the news came, Wang Qiuyun decisively ordered the 79th Regiment to rush into the city.

Sanguo did not want to die at once, so he immediately ordered the retreating Japanese troops to take turns to cover and resist step by step. He himself took a small number of people and quickly evacuated from the west gate.

Chapter 471: Chang Kai-shen's Pressure

chongqing.

Chiang Kai-shek threw the report to the ground.

This was not enough, Chiang Kai-shek threw the teacup down again.

He angrily said, "Damn it! Are these the Tubalu? Look at the Tubalu from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region. They attacked Jining with so many artillery pieces, even howitzers. Their weapons and equipment are better than ours. Tell me, what should we do now? These Tubalu have been developing so rapidly in Chahar, Rehe, Suiyuan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong. Are we going to abandon these places in the future?"

The Battle of Jining once again shocked all forces.

It was not because Jining was so important, but because the Eighth Column used a large number of artillery when it broke through Jining. Relying on artillery fire to attack the Japanese army step by step, they finally captured Jining.

There was a rumbling sound of cannons outside Jining City.

The fortifications of the Japanese and puppet troops were reduced to ashes in the face of such powerful artillery fire.

This battle will undoubtedly go down in the annals of the Eighth Route Army. It wasn't the first time the Eighth Route Army had conquered a city like Jining, nor would it be the last. However, the fact that the Eighth Route Army deployed so many artillery pieces, including heavy artillery, was a first in the history of the Eighth Route Army. Even within a short period of time, no other unit of the Eighth Route Army could match such firepower.

Jining is an important place connecting northern Shanxi, Suiyuan and Chahar.

The capture of Jining by the Eighth Route Army caught everyone's attention. The Military Intelligence Bureau also sent the situation of this battle to Chongqing, and finally to Chiang Kai-shek.

Chiang Kai-shek couldn't sleep after hearing this intelligence. The Eighth Route Army's artillery fire in capturing Jining surpassed that of an entire elite division of the Central Army. This Eighth Route Army was no longer just a ragtag force; it had already begun to transform into an elite force. Since 1942, the Eighth Route Army's expansion in North China has been accelerating. Consider how powerful the Shanxi-Chahar Wing troops are now in Hebei.

Currently, 89% of the towns and villages in Hebei are in the hands of the Eighth Route Army.

That is, the current Jincha troops lack heavy weapons and are wary of Japanese aircraft. Otherwise, with the current might of the Jinchaji Eighth Route Army, it would have no problem attacking major cities in Hebei. Furthermore, the Eighth Route Army is becoming increasingly active in Rehe and eastern Hebei.

Moreover, the scale of battles of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops is getting bigger and bigger.

They could easily wipe out a Japanese battalion. They were even not afraid of encountering a Japanese regiment. This time, the 8th Column captured Jining, which made Chiang Kai-shek even more uneasy.

"Committee Chairman, after the Eighth Route Army captured Zhangjiakou, they seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition. These artillery pieces should have been pulled out from Zhangjiakou."

Gu Zhutong reported immediately.

Chiang Kai-shek glanced at Gu Zhutong unhappily and said, "Of course I know. But what should we do now? If we do nothing, all of North China will be ruled by the Communist bandits. There will be no place for us in North China. Who in North China will even know about our Nationalist government?"

This is what worries him most.

Ever since the war between Japan, Britain and the United States broke out, Chiang Kai-shek knew that China would definitely win the war of resistance. The Japanese could not defeat Britain and the United States.

If that's the case, why bother fighting the Japanese? It would be better to use this opportunity to train our own troops. After the war is over, we will still have to fight these communists for the world.

But now the Eighth Route Army is becoming more and more powerful, and he is very uneasy.

The people below were all looking at each other, and no one spoke.

North China became the domain of the Eighth Route Army, and they had no other options. The Nationalist Army did send remnant troops behind enemy lines, but in the past two years, very few of them were able to hold out.

Some rebelled and joined the Eighth Route Army, others defected and became puppet soldiers, and many were annihilated by the Eighth Route Army during conflicts with it. Of the once vigorous million-strong army behind enemy lines, less than one-third were still able to maintain their establishment.

But look at the Eighth Route Army.

Establish a solid base and develop the army behind enemy lines.

When Chiang Kai-shek saw that no one was talking, his expression became even uglier.

"Ding, ding, ding—" Dai Li, director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, walked in.

He came up to Chiang Kai-shek and said, "President, I just received news that Stilwell and Wu Hao met privately.

"what?"

Chiang Kai-shek can get up.

Then he said angrily: "Is the information accurate?"

"It's absolutely true. Although we didn't get the specific content of the conversation, we got some information from Stilwell's subordinates. Stilwell and Wu Hao met to inquire about the Eighth Route Army's recent combat situation. Stilwell wanted to know whether the recent combat situation of the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi-Chahar Wing was true. Stilwell meant that if the current combat situation of the Eighth Route Army troops was true, then he wanted to persuade the US government to give some of the US-supplied weapons and ammunition to the Eighth Route Army for use."

"Damn it! I'm going to protest to the US government. I want them to withdraw Stilwell. The Americans are untrustworthy. Absolutely untrustworthy."

Chiang Kai-shek was furious.

He was originally wary of the current expansion of the Eighth Route Army.

If the Eighth Route Army had been given a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, as Stilwell intended, it would have been completely wiped out in North China. Besides its main force, the Eighth Route Army possessed numerous regional units. Many of these units were unable to become main forces due to a lack of weapons and ammunition. If the Americans had provided the Eighth Route Army with weapons and ammunition, it would have been easy for the Eighth Route Army to expand its forces by hundreds of thousands in a short period of time. If the Eighth Route Army continued to expand at this rate, North China would have been truly under the control of the Eighth Route Army. It was unclear who would rule North China, let alone the rest of the world.

This is something Chiang Kai-shek absolutely cannot accept.

Chiang Kai-shek had long been dissatisfied with this old man Stilwell.

Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell had already been at odds over the formation of the Burma Expeditionary Force, and now Stilwell's secret meeting with Chinese Communist Party representatives had touched Chiang Kai-shek's bottom line.

"Chairman, what the Americans are concerned about is whether we can contain the Japanese army. Or, in other words, whether we can help them eliminate more Japanese troops and relieve their pressure on the Pacific battlefield. If the Eighth Route Army can accomplish this, I think the Americans will not mind providing some weapons to the Eighth Route Army. For the Americans, supporting tens of thousands of rifles, even hundreds of thousands of rifles, will enable the Eighth Route Army to strike the Japanese, which is a very cost-effective deal.

He Yingqin spoke.

There are no good people among the great powers.

The Soviet Union had always supported China's war of resistance, hoping that China could contain Japan and prevent it from attacking the Soviet Union. When the Soviet-German War broke out, the Soviet Union immediately turned around and negotiated with Japan to sign a new treaty.

The same is true in the United States.

While China was struggling against Japanese aggression, they were enjoying a happy trade with Japan. They were enjoying a brisk sale of strategic materials needed for the war. Later, when the Japanese army advanced southward and began threatening Malacca, the United States imposed restrictions on Japan. When the Pacific War broke out, the United States began supporting China's war.

To put it bluntly, neither the United States nor the Soviet Union are good people, and of course China has no right to blame them.

Because they are all for the interests of their own country.

China is not a real relative of theirs, nor does it have the right to ask for their support.

The reason Stilwell wanted to support the Eighth Route Army was because its performance had been improving over the past two years, and the scale of its battles had been increasing. Stilwell saw that the Eighth Route Army, with its simple weapons, was able to defeat the Japanese.

Therefore, they wanted to allocate a batch of weapons and ammunition to support the Eighth Route Army.