Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 176 Still not enough
As evening fell, the air on the battlefield was thick with the stench of blood and the acrid smell of gunpowder.

The setting sun dyed the battlefield a blood-red hue, and the smoke and the stench of blood lingered in the air.

The heavy smell of blood mixed with the acrid smell of gunpowder was nauseating.

In the distance, the sporadic roar of artillery fire still lingered, occasionally punctuated by the groans and screams of the wounded.

Major General Yoshito Takagi, commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade, stepped heavily through the scorched earth, each step reflecting his mood.

His once crisp military uniform was now covered in dust, his face was full of fatigue, and his eyes were full of solemnity. Soon he arrived at the 20th Division's command post.

After passing through numerous guards, he arrived at the entrance of the command post, walked to the canvas curtain that was yellowed with gunpowder smoke, and shouted loudly: "Takagi Yoshito has been ordered to report for duty!"

"Come in!" Lieutenant General Ushijima Sanetsugu's voice rang out immediately.

When Takagi Yoshito lifted the curtain, he saw Ushijima Minoru pressing his temples with his bandaged hand. The battle map in front of him was covered with dense red arrows, making one's eyes dizzy.

Upon hearing footsteps, he turned around and looked at Takagi Yoshito, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, and then spoke.

“Takagi-kun… I saw the battle situation today. The 39th Brigade fought very well. The warriors of the Empire were not afraid of death and fought fiercely against the Chinese. They are truly worthy of being His Majesty the Emperor’s loyal and brave warriors.”

"Hai... Thank you for the praise, Division Commander. It is our duty to fight for His Majesty the Emperor and for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."

"Takagi-kun, how are your casualties after today's battle?" After praising him, Ushijima Minoru began to inquire about serious matters.

Takagi Yoshito's face darkened: "Division Commander, today's battle has finally shown me the power of Su Yaoyang's troops."

This unit was well-equipped and had fierce firepower. As soon as the battle began, our unit was plunged into a bitter struggle.

In just one day, our brigade suffered more than 1,600 casualties, a large portion of whom were wounded by Chinese artillery and machine gun fire.

Forgive my bluntness, but in terms of light weapons alone, the Imperial Army is already lagging behind the Shanxi militia. If we don't change our tactics, and things continue like this, I'm afraid..."

He didn't continue, but Ushijima understood his meaning. The lieutenant general remained silent for a moment, then his gaze returned to the map.

"Takagi-kun, what do you think we should do?" Ushijima Minoru's voice remained calm, but Takagi Yoshito could sense the pressure within it.

"Your Excellency, when I was commanding the troops in battle today, I observed that although the Shanxi militia also had anti-aircraft firepower, the number was not large, at most twenty or thirty anti-aircraft guns."

In addition, their losses have been very heavy these days, and the area they have to defend is more than ten square kilometers, so the army air force planes flew and bombed very smoothly today.

After assessment, the losses suffered by the Shanxi militia were not low either. Therefore, I believe that as long as the Army Air Force continues to increase its bombing intensity, the Shanxi militia will inevitably collapse on its own.

"Yoshi..."

Ushijima Minoru nodded with satisfaction. "Your opinion is roughly the same as mine. I also said the same thing to Commander Umezu Yoshijiro."

Although Su Yaoyang somehow managed to acquire a batch of American weapons, including heavy artillery and anti-aircraft guns, they couldn't get their hands on high-tech military equipment like airplanes.

There's an old Chinese saying: "Strike while the iron is hot." Since they lack anti-aircraft weapons, I'll immediately send a telegram to Your Excellency the Commander, instructing you to intensify the bombing and strive to annihilate them all in Wolf Valley.

"Hai!"

"Commander-in-Chief, this is a telegram from Division Commander Ushijima!" (Taiyuan First Army Headquarters)
Chief of Staff Shojiro Iida knocked on the door of Yoshijiro Umezu's office.

"Come in!"

As Yoshijiro Umezu's voice came from inside, Shojiro Iida pushed open the door and went in, taking a telegram out of his briefcase and handing it over with both hands.

"Commander, this is a telegram just sent by Division Commander Ushijima."

Yoshijiro Umezu took the telegram and read it. He said unhappily, "This Ushijima, all he ever thinks about is air support. Does he think the First Army's planes are only for the 20th Division? Or does he think that other units don't need air support?"

They even claimed that the Shanxi militia's air defense firepower was too intense and that they would continue to increase air support. Who knew they could lie so easily?

Shojiro Iida understood why Yoshijiro Umezu was angry. As the invasion intensified and Japan occupied more and more territory, the required military force naturally increased, and the shortage of troops began to emerge.

Furthermore, with the outbreak of the Battle of Wuhan, the North China Area Army also transferred some elite troops to Central China. As a result, the troops stationed in North China were mostly second-line units, and their combat effectiveness was much weaker than that of Class A divisions.

The Jin-Cha-Ji Daily once recorded: "Every time the Japanese army occupies a county, it needs to send hundreds of troops, and its military strength is becoming increasingly stretched thin."

Under these circumstances, the number of Japanese aircraft in Shanxi was even fewer, amounting to only thirty or forty.

To support the 20th Division, Yoshijiro Umezu had already assigned most of his aircraft to him, but the guy still wasn't satisfied and even demanded more aircraft, which made Yoshijiro Umezu begin to feel dissatisfied.

Shojiro Iida said cautiously, "Commander, Division Commander Ushijima is a cautious man. The reason he sent you a telegram requesting additional aircraft is probably because he has encountered genuine difficulties."

Other Chinese troops are one thing, but we probably can't judge Su Yaoyang and his Shanxi militia by ordinary standards.

Yoshijiro Umezu's expression shifted, finally settling into a long sigh.

"Alright, alright, immediately send a telegram to Colonel Ishikawa Ai (commander of the 1st Flying Regiment) and have him transfer the 15th Independent Flying Squadron to the 20th Division to assist Ushijima's operations."

At the same time, you must tell Ushijima-kun that the Shanxi militia must be completely defeated and Su Yaoyang killed.

"Hai!"

Night had fallen, and the Chinese and Japanese soldiers, who had fought a day-long battle, huddled in their trenches wrapped in blankets and drifted off to sleep, leaving the entire position silent.

Machine gunner Cao Dawang was hiding in a bunker, drinking coffee with his assistant gunner and his comrades.

Yes, you read that right, it's coffee.

This was also a benefit that Su Yaoyang provided to the Shanxi militia.

The reason was that he considered that during World War II, the Soviet Union had vodka, John Bull had black tea, and Uncle Tom had cola and coffee, but the Chinese army could only dream of drinking clean boiled water.

So they got a batch of instant coffee and distributed it to the troops below.

At first, the soldiers weren't very interested in the bitter drink.

As the soldiers drank it, they gradually discovered that although it was bitter, it had a delicate flavor. Once they got used to it, it had a unique taste. Most importantly, it could refresh them. Thus, this imported coffee began to be promoted among the Shanxi militia.

(End of this chapter)