I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 98 Bloody Battle South of Yinshan (Part 1)

Just as Sakai Koji was outside Yinshan, pondering how to find that mysterious force inside Yinshan.

Commander Chen and Political Commissar Liu, who were hiding deep in the Yinshan Mountains, were also studying the map, figuring out how to deal with the Japanese soldiers who had come from afar.

"Old Liu, do you think this new Japanese soldier knows that we've discovered their arrival?"

While looking at the map, Commander Chen asked Political Commissar Liu, who was sitting next to him.

Political Commissar Liu glanced at Regiment Commander Chen and said, "Do you think those Japanese devils are all idiots?"

Not long after we entered the mountains, the Japanese reconnaissance planes arrived.

These past two days, reconnaissance planes have been hovering over our heads in these mountains every day.

This means that they have basically confirmed that we are in the Yinshan Mountains.

We just don't know exactly where we are.

Besides, we've cleared the railway tracks and damaged the road surface almost completely in the past two nights.

If they still don't know we're in these mountains, then they're really fools.

But isn't this the result you wanted?

Otherwise, it wouldn't be too difficult for us to create some traces of going west or south.

The Japanese have now drawn our attention to a part of the Yinshan area.

That would relatively weaken their offensive capabilities in Shanxi.

As long as we stay here in Yinshan, these little devils will have to be more wary of us.

If they want to cross Yinshan, they have to consider whether they will fall into a pit.

Now that they've confirmed we're here, do you think the Japanese commander wouldn't know we've set up observation posts on the perimeter?

You're dreaming.

Hearing Political Commissar Liu tease him, Regiment Commander Chen didn't take it seriously. He just chuckled and said, "Isn't it easy to get addicted to ambushes?"

Look, we set up an ambush, and now we have warhorses, infantry rifles, machine guns, and cavalry cannons.

This can be considered a windfall. Putting all that aside, we can eat horse meat for quite a while.

Let me tell you, wait until all those horse sausages that Comrade XJ taught the cooks to make are dried.

You'll have to try it sometime; the taste is simply amazing. I ate it a few times in XJ, and I haven't had it in ages.

This time, we have a chance.

Political Commissar Liu then laughed and looked at Regiment Commander Chen, saying, "Hey Old Chen, are we studying the enemy situation or discussing food and drink?"

Your question is way off-topic.

Commander Chen said, "Old Liu, isn't being able to eat a lot also a form of combat effectiveness? How can you fight a war if you're not well-fed?"

Okay, let's not talk about horse intestines anymore; it takes time for that stuff to get better.

Let's talk about these little Japanese devils.

The reconnaissance squad reported that, apart from the car in front, these Japanese devils...

Behind them, there were also dozens of tanks and artillery.

If we could eat them...

"Hehe, then we're going to make another fortune!"

After hearing what Regiment Commander Chen said, Political Commissar Liu nodded and said, "That's how it is."

But what are your thoughts on how to preserve them, Old Chen?

Commander Chen looked at the map again and said, "Old Liu, as you just said, we've cleaned up all the remaining railway tracks in Yinshan these past few nights."

Even those roads are now full of potholes.

Some landmines were also scattered around.

It won't be easy for those Japanese convoys to get through.

Now, they have learned from the experience of the cavalryman being ambushed.

Once they see the road so badly damaged, they will certainly not dare to cross it so easily.

Even when they go to repair roads, they have to be constantly on guard against sniper fire, artillery fire, and landmines.

So they can't easily cross this mountainous area.

As long as they cannot pass through this mountainous area in an organized manner, our escape route will be safe.

Even if we just wait it out with these Japanese devils here, we can wear them down.

In this mountainous region, we can come down from the mountains to attack them at any time, but they cannot come down from the mountains to attack us at any time.

For us, this gives us a geographical advantage.

Now we have no worries about logistics and can also take the initiative due to our geographical advantage.

We are nearby and can strike the Japanese devils outside the mountains at any time.

From afar, we can directly threaten the Japanese in Datong, a strategic location in the north.

How could those Japanese devils possibly let us roam freely in these mountains without coming in?
But once they get into the mountains, those little devils will realize that getting in is easy, but getting out is hard.

We waited until we had almost exhausted the number of Japanese soldiers who could enter the mountains.

"Then all those Japanese cars, tanks, and field artillery that couldn't go into the mountains, wouldn't they all be ours?"

Seeing that Commander Chen's eyes were getting brighter and brighter as he spoke, Political Commissar Liu nodded and said, "Old Chen, you're right."

Whether these little devils want to come into the mountains or not, they have to come in and have a go at us.

If they want to block us with deep trenches and high walls outside the mountains, they would need to prepare 200,000 people to completely block us from the outside.

If they don't want to keep us in check, then the Japanese devils have no choice but to come into the mountains and fight me.

Commander Chen then continued from Political Commissar Liu's words, saying, "That's exactly the point. The position we're in now will make things very difficult for the Japanese."

As long as we are here, the Japanese will feel like they have a thorn in their side and will not dare to advance south with full force.

In order to give these Japanese devils some hope, we need to prepare a target for them to enter the mountains.

But once those Japanese devils entered the mountains, their thousands of men were prepared to be buried here.

Then they will know what despair truly means.

At this point, the greedy look in Commander Chen's eyes was no longer the same as when he had looked at the Japanese tanks.

Instead, it was an extremely cold and ruthless gaze.

While Regiment Commander Chen and Political Commissar Liu were studying the Japanese, the Japanese brigade commander, Sakai Koji, was also discussing tactics for this operation with his staff and other military officers at all levels.

At this moment, Sakai Koji, with a serious expression, said to the staff officers and military commanders standing in front of him, gathered around the folded map table: "This time we must go into the mountains to fight, there is nothing to discuss about that."

I have now decided to send infantry in conjunction with reconnaissance aircraft to probe along the southern part of the railway line, area by area.

Once we've determined that an area is safe by conducting segmented investigations, we secure the key points within that area before moving forward.

First, drive these people to the mountains further south.

That way we can rest assured and repair the roads they damaged.

Once this road is open, we can circle around to the west side of Yinshan Mountain. No matter where this army came from, they will always need supplies; without them, they could starve to death in these mountains.

Their most likely supply route must be on the Tumet Plain west of Yinshan Mountain.

Therefore, building roads that allow our trucks and tanks to pass is of utmost importance to us.

If these people can see through our intentions, then they will definitely launch an attack on us.

If that's the case, gentlemen, your chance to make a contribution has arrived.

"Hase-kun, are you confident about this mission?"

The commander of the 1st Independent Infantry Regiment of the Sakai Brigade, Miyoji Hasegawa, stood at attention and replied, "Yes, Commander, please rest assured. There is never a mission that cannot be accomplished in the face of the invincible Imperial Infantry."

We are simply grateful to the brigade commander for giving us this opportunity to earn merit. Thank you, brigade commander.

Seeing Hasegawa Miyoji's confident demeanor, Sakai Koji was also very satisfied.

As his former subordinate, Sakai Koji had great confidence in Hasegawa Miyoji's command and use of infantry.

In the past few months, the 1st Independent Infantry Regiment has won many battles and made great contributions.

It also believes that this battle, like the previous ones, will allow them to achieve new successes.

After nodding, Sakai Koji said to Hasegawa Miyoji, "Hasegawa-kun, this time when you go into the mountains, you don't need to go too far south."
You only need to stay within a 10-kilometer radius.

A 10-kilometer-long protective barrier is sufficient to ensure the safety of our road construction.

Moreover, this distance allows you to advance or retreat as needed. If those people attack you with sufficient intensity, it means they are in a hurry.

Then you can launch a flanking maneuver to encircle them.

The terrain in the Yinshan Mountains is fragmented and lacks the geographical conditions necessary for large-scale operations.

However, our strength lies precisely in individual combat and small team operations.

I believe that under these conditions, we will definitely be able to win.

In this operation, wherever road conditions permit, I will have the armored battalion send tanks to support your operations.

"Gentlemen, the bright future of the empire depends on our efforts. Prepare for battle!"

"Hey," in this place where there aren't even any tents, this operational meeting is now over.

With the strategic objectives and tactics determined, all that remained was to wage a bloody battle.

However, whether it was Sakai Koji, Hasegawa Miyoji, or the other military commanders, they were all full of confidence in the victory of this battle.

This confidence is built upon the victories achieved over the years.

Since the Northeast fell into their hands, they have never experienced any defeat.

Especially in the last few months, no enemy they have faced in battle has been able to withstand their fierce attacks.

The constant victories brought them not only pride but also confidence.

As for the defeats of that idiot Kobori Shigeaki and the Pingxing Pass, they were merely ambushes, not true defeats.

Preparations for the Sakai Brigade are ongoing.

The campsite where the Sakai Troupe is currently stationed is 10 kilometers away from the edge of the Yinshan Mountains.

Because we knew the enemy had artillery, although we didn't know the exact range of their artillery.

However, among the artillery pieces that can enter the mountains, very few have a range of more than ten kilometers.

Moreover, Sakai Koji knew that Kobori was carrying the Type 41 75mm cavalry gun, which had a range of more than eight kilometers.

Sakai Koji didn't want to be shot a few more times while he was sleeping in the middle of the night.

It's already late today, so going into the mountains at this time isn't a good choice.

So, apart from setting up sentry posts near the mountain passes leading out of Yinshan that were relatively close to them, everyone began to prepare to rest and conserve their energy.

Commander Chen and his men didn't plan to send out sentries at night, as that would only alert the Japanese soldiers.

That's not good news for Commander Chen.

The night was peaceful, and both sides slept soundly.

The very next day, just as Commander Chen was about to set up a decoy target for the Japanese soldiers to lure them over...

The reconnaissance squad relayed a message to him, saying, "The Japanese are conducting a grid search in the mountains south of the railway line."

However, they only ventured ten kilometers into the mountains before stopping.

These Japanese soldiers were searching in sections, with the first section being only ten kilometers long.

Moreover, they are very cautious when moving in mountainous areas, and they advance by searching in small groups in coordination.

And after searching an area, they will establish a firing point on a key high ground there.

And there are signs that fortifications have been built on it.

After receiving the intelligence, Commander Chen and Political Commissar Liu immediately understood the Japanese devils' intentions upon looking at the map.

They want to build a road and then cut off their own escape route by going around to the west.

Commander Chen chuckled and said to Political Commissar Liu, "Old Liu, it seems this little devil has quite the ambition; he even wants to go west."

However, this road is not so easy to repair. It will take the Japanese some time to fill in all of this more than 100-kilometer-long road.

"Old Liu, where do you think would be the best place for us to take action against these Japanese devils?"

Political Commissar Liu looked at the map and said, "No need to rush, let those little devils build the road first."
The longer the road they build, the more troops they need to disperse to protect it.

Dividing troops in the face of battle is a major taboo in military strategy.

These Japanese devils seem to be very arrogant.

I think when those little devils have finished half of this road, it will be time for us to really get started.

However, we can't let them get away with it so easily.

Didn't they set up firing positions? Those are perfect targets for our mortars and snipers.

We don't need to engage them in direct combat. We only need to launch short, sharp attacks on their outermost firing positions.

Each squad takes one 60mm mortar, the sniper fires two shots, the mortar fires three shots, and then, without observing the results, immediately withdraws.

We peeled away their skin bit by bit. If they wanted to continue building roads, they could only keep sending people into the mountains, but their manpower was limited.

Now that the fighting has begun, there's no need for us to hide anything.

Set up a fake target to lure the Japanese reconnaissance planes over, and then use a small number of anti-aircraft machine guns to shoot down as many as you can.

Tell the Japanese that we have anti-aircraft machine guns, but not many.

The Japanese would probably believe that a place guarded by anti-aircraft machine guns must be an important place.

This should be able to attract the Japanese fighter jets and bombers.

In mountainous areas, if they want to bomb accurately, they must lower their altitude.

At this point, we will concentrate all our anti-aircraft firepower to give them a big blast.

"Let the Japanese suffer terribly."

"Okay, we'll do as you say, Lao Liu," Commander Chen said loudly.

(End of this chapter)