Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 155: Reorganized Army, Elite Division

<font style="vertical-align: inherit;">November 1</font>

Kaifeng.

The steam military train spewed out white mist and slowly entered the platform.

Wang Feng sat in the carriage, looking at the scenery outside the window.

The last time I took a military train was when I first arrived at the Fifth War Zone, and was sent to the Chihe River to block the 26th Brigade.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, the train is arriving."

"Urgent telegram from Chongqing!"

Wang Feng took a sip of hot tea: "Is it about combat deployment?"

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "It is almost the same as the order that Commander Li gave to my subordinates before leaving."

"Stop the Japanese troops north of the Longhai Line for 15 days, ensure the safety of the railway line, and cover the evacuation of friendly forces!"

Wang Feng: "The Longhai Line runs from Zhengzhou to Xuzhou, with a total length of nearly 400 kilometers."

"There is the 14th Division on the west side, and the 16th Division on the east side."

Zhao Fangyuan scratched his head: "Sir, there is actually more than that."

"The latest news is that the 3rd and 13th Mixed Brigades of the Kwantung Army are heading south along the Jinpu Road from Jining to attack the western part of Xuzhou. If the battle goes against them, these two mixed brigades will most likely head west and join up with the th Division."

"In addition, the Japanese 114th Division arrived at the battlefield and replaced Rensuke Isogai's th Division."

"Currently, the remnants of the 10th Division are moving westwards and are likely to participate in the attack on the Longhai Line!"

Hearing this, Wang Feng paused in the air holding the teacup.

The 14th and 16th divisions, two mixed brigades, and one half-crippled division.

If the war develops as expected, rounding up, he will have to face three and a half divisions at the same time.

Zhao Fangyuan: "In addition, the Fifth Division is heading south from Tianjin. According to reliable sources, it has already arrived in Jinan."

Wang Feng frowned: "Fifth Division? Itagaki Seishirō?"

I remember that after the Battle of Xinkou, Itagaki Seishirō was buried in the snow by the Army General Staff due to his poor performance in the battle.

Is this re-enabled?
Zhao Fangyuan shook his head: "According to the response from the war zone headquarters, after the defeat at Xinkou, the Fifth Division returned to Hiroshima and was reorganized in the country. It returned to China again last month."

Wang Feng was shocked.

In half a year, a Type A division was reorganized.

It seems that Japan's war potential is still quite abundant.

Wang Feng: "Is there any news about that Japanese communist from last time?"

He was really curious about the current situation in Japan.

Two divisions were lost in the Battle of Huaibei, and a division commander and half of the division's manpower were lost in the Battle of Linyi.

In the Battle of Taierzhuang, tens of thousands of enemies were annihilated, and the 10th Division was defeated and fled north in a hurry.

For three full months, not a single battle was won.

Under such circumstances, anti-war sentiment in Japan should be on the rise.

The reorganization of the troops and the production of weapons had a huge impact on the economy. Japan was extremely short of raw materials and had to import the necessary steel and oil from abroad. It was also unknown whether the gold and foreign exchange reserves of the central bank had been used up.

Zhao Fangyuan: "No, our reply fell on deaf ears."

"But I was chatting with the theater staff not long ago and heard some rumors."

Wang Feng raised his eyebrows: "Hmm?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "I heard that the Japanese cabinet has introduced a bill to reduce its military presence in China, reducing the number of troops by 200,000?"

Wang Feng smiled and said, "I heard that Dai Li has placed spies in the Japanese cabinet?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "This seems to be a bill to reduce military forces. There is a big reaction in Japan. This is the information sent back by local spies."

"Sir, do you think we are going to win?"

Wang Feng waved his hand: "It's too early. If the Japanese cabinet can issue a bill to reduce troop strength today, it can change its mind tomorrow and propose to increase troop strength."

"The Japanese cabinet is a military government. Even if the domestic economy completely collapses and people starve to death in droves, they will continue the war."

"They can't afford to fail!"

Zhao Fangyuan sighed: "Alas"

The guard on duty at the door walked in: "Two sirs, you can get out of the car now."

Wang Feng stood up and tightened his fur-collared coat: "Let's go and take a look at this thousand-year-old city, Kaifeng Prefecture!"

------

Outside the military camp on the outskirts of the city.

Upon learning that Wang Feng was coming, Zhang Hu personally led a team of guards two miles out of the camp to greet him.

"Hello, sir!"

The jeep slowly stopped, and Wang Feng lowered the window: "Get in and talk!"

The guard at the side opened the car door and Zhang Hu got in.

The car soldier stepped on the accelerator and the wheels turned slowly.

In the bumpy car, Wang Feng spoke first: "You commanded the Battle of Taierzhuang well. Commander Li praised you in front of me afterwards."

"They say you have the bearing of a great general."

Zhang Hu scratched his head and said quickly, "No, no, I am just a rough guy who has never been to a military school. I learned these skills from you, sir. I only learned the basics. That's all."

Wang Feng grinned: "Okay, let's not talk about this for now, what's the current situation?"

When talking about business, Zhang Hu became serious: "At present, our 1st and 4th columns are stationed in Kaifeng, Xun Chen leads the 5th column in Lanfeng, and Xiao Hou's 6th column is in Shangqiu."

Wang Feng nodded: "What is the specific movement of the 14th Division?"

Zhang Hu thought for a moment and said: "After the 14th Division occupied Heze, they split into two groups. One group occupied Cao County and advanced towards Neihuangji and Minquan."

"Another route is to attack Kaocheng."

Wang Feng frowned: "Give me the map!"

Zhao Fangyuan in the co-pilot seat responded, "Yes!"

A simple map was handed over.

Wang Feng took out a pen from his pocket and made marks on the map according to Zhang Hu's description.

The movement of the 14th Division was very clear, which was to concentrate its forces to attack the Neihuangji-Minquan line.

Zhang Hu: "Sir, if the Japanese army successfully captures Minquan, will they advance towards Shangqiu?"

Wang Feng frowned even more tightly: "Shangqiu." Zhang Hu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, the National Army has deployed heavy troops in Shangqiu, and wants to encircle the Japanese army here."

Wang Feng shook his head. "I don't think so. Let's not talk about the Japanese aerial reconnaissance. Compared with Shangqiu, Lanfeng has few troops. After the Battle of Taierzhuang, the Japanese will not be in trouble again in the short term. Once they find signs of heavy troops gathering, they will definitely hesitate to move forward."

"In addition, the 14th Division is a Type A unit with an astonishing number of heavy weapons. If they take over Lanfeng and the Yellow River crossing to its north first, they can ensure smooth transportation of the supply line."

"I guess after the Japanese army opens up the Lanfeng supply line, they will most likely turn around and attack Shangqiu, or continue westward and attempt to capture Kaifeng!"

Zhang Hu suddenly realized: "So that's it, I understand!"

"When I led my troops to Kaifeng, the friendly army was dispatching troops to Shangqiu and asked us to go with them. However, I refused the order on the grounds that I could not move without the order from my superiors."

Wang Feng was surprised: "Who is the local national army general?"

Zhang Hu: "The garrison in Kaifeng is the First War Zone's First Corps, led by Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue!"

"It is composed of the 8th, 64th, 71st, and 74th Armies, as well as the 3rd Army Group, the newly formed 35th and 88th Divisions, and the 264th Brigade."

Wang Feng was a little confused after hearing this long string of numbers.

So many troops?
If we count the seven columns that I brought with me into this battle.

The military strength may have exceeded 300K.

At present, the Japanese army only has one division.

To put it bluntly, every spit of a soldier can drown the Japanese!
Zhao Fangyuan also looked relieved: "Sir, the 14th Division is alone and deep in the enemy's territory. Once it is surrounded, it will be powerless to recover."

"We can first deal with the 14th Division, and then turn our guns to deal with the 10th and 16th Divisions in the direction of Xuzhou, as well as the two independent mixed brigades of the Kwantung Army."

Wang Feng remained silent, his eyes drifting out the window.

After learning that his own troops far outnumbered the Japanese, he was no longer concerned with defending the Longhai Line.

Puyang
The Central Plains is a vast fertile land.

The key is that there is still oil!
It is also very close to Changzhi, and the transportation cost is low.
From the Second War Zone to the Fifth War Zone, we have been retreating, retreating, and retreating again.

I've had enough!
I once said by the Chi River that blindly defending would never defeat the Japanese devils!

The drive was short. After entering the military camp, Zhao Fangyuan jumped out of the jeep and opened the back door: "Sir, we've arrived."

Wang Feng came to his senses and got out of the jeep.

Officers from each column are waiting here.

"Hello, sir!"

Wang Feng smiled and returned the gesture symbolically.

Zhang Hu led from the front: "Sir, your commander-in-chief is here!"

A group of people walked forward.

Wang Feng lifted the tent door curtain and looked inside.

There are macro and micro combat maps, and tables, chairs and benches are all available. There is also a bed next to it for resting when you feel tired.

Zhang Hu handed over a booklet: "Sir, this is the detailed list of the latest batch of supplies that arrived in Kaifeng from the rear!"

Wang Feng sat on the chair, took it and glanced at it, then looked at Zhao Fangyuan: "Since mid-March, our department has been expanding and reorganizing. What is the current situation?"

You can get a clear view of the troop situation through the system panel.

But other officers don't have this ability.

With the war approaching, the best way to inspire people is to demonstrate strength.

Let the brothers know that there are guns, bullets, cannons and food behind them. There is no need to worry about supply problems, just go up and do it!

Zhao Fangyuan stepped forward and read out the speech he had prepared in his mind: "So far, our unit has organized three mountain columns, five field columns, and one artillery column."

"The number of troops participating in the frontline combat operations reached 140K. Including the reserve soldiers, the size of our unit reached 180K."

As he spoke, he took out some toilet paper from his pocket.

"In terms of weapons reserves, our unit is currently equipped with about 200,000 rifles, including about 40,000 domestically produced Type 24 rifles, 60,000 captured Japanese Type 38 rifles, and 100,000 Chinese-made rifles such as the Zhongzheng and Hanyang rifles."

"182 Type 356 heavy machine guns, 197 Taisho Type 234 light machine guns, 1938 Maxim heavy machine guns, 40 Czech light machine guns, 80 Changzhi Type 4 heavy machine guns, light machine guns, and anti-aircraft machine guns."

"Total count: 419 heavy machine guns, 670 light machine guns."

"As for artillery, the 96st, nd, rd, and th columns have all been equipped with domestically produced Type artillery, totaling guns. The remaining four columns are equipped with Japanese Type mountain artillery and Type infantry artillery."

"The heavy artillery column has four heavy artillery battalions and four infantry battalions under its command."

"A total of 105 Type 21 150mm howitzers and two Type mm howitzers are equipped!"

Wang Feng nodded.

During the North China Battle Group period, the troops were all equipped with Type 38 rifles, with a small number of Type 24 rifles mixed in.

However, the army expanded too quickly, and after incorporating the 51st and 59th, other firearms were inevitably mixed in.

After the Linyi Campaign ended, the size of the army expanded from 70K to 180K.

It’s more than doubled!
Since industrial capacity cannot keep up, we can only settle for the next best thing. If we have guns, we can use them first. They are better than swords, long-haired and red-tasseled spears!

The eight columns under his command are clearly ranked in order of strength.

The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th columns were all reorganized from battle group corps. They have the highest quality soldiers and the best weapons and equipment, and are the main force in field offensives.

The 59th and th Corps were reorganized from the original th Corps. Their combat capabilities and weapons and equipment are acceptable. If necessary, they can replace the main force and carry out tough tasks.

The original 51st and 122nd were reorganized into the th and th columns.

The combat positioning is also very clear, it is not a main force filling the line.

It’s not that he deliberately ignored and alienated these two columns, but he really had no choice.

Any army, even Chiang Kai-shek's most proud German-equipped adjustment division, has different levels of divisions among its subordinate regiments.

There will always be the strongest and the weakest.

Although the 7th and 8th Corps were inconspicuous in the garrison army, if any one of them was picked out at random, its actual combat capability would probably be comparable to that of Tang Enbo's elite division.

Wang Feng: "Where are the ammunition reserves?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "At present, our unit has a stockpile of 75 million rounds of various bullets, 4000 grenades, 105 214mm high-explosive bombs, 150 24mm grenades, and mm grenades."

"The amount of food and fodder carried with the army exceeds 350 tons, enough to supply one month's needs!"

Wang Feng nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad!"

Very fat!

The only drawback is that the ammunition reserves are a bit small.

But now it is located in Kaifeng, which is closer to Changzhi than Xuzhou. As long as the Longhai Line can be guarded, a steady supply of supplies will be transported from the rear.

There is no need to worry too much.

(End of this chapter)