Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Chapter 278: Major Fujii Shu's Little Wish

What made the commander of the Japanese Second Battalion, Major Fujii Kyuichi, feel relieved was that the troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government on the opposite position still gave him face. They had no intention of rushing out to attack them. They even had few people on the position. This showed a lot of international humanitarian spirit, and they did not attack the wounded soldiers of the First Battalion.

The Chinese army's act of giving face made the rescue work of the Japanese Second Battalion proceed very smoothly, but the statistical results after the rescue were very unsatisfactory.

"Your Excellency the Captain, the rescue work of the First Battalion has been basically completed. We have searched the explosion area carefully and rescued a total of 315 soldiers. However, the captain of the First Battalion, Major Kobayashi Zen, had died when we found him. Now the highest-ranking officer in the First Battalion is a second lieutenant squad leader." The captain of the Second Battalion, Major Fujii Kyuichi, spoke the news with a little stutter.

The experience of the First Battalion made the captain of the Second Battalion, Major Fujii Kyuichi, feel deeply helpless. As expected, the next unit to be responsible for the attack would be his Second Battalion, but he had been thinking about what good tactics he could use to launch the attack in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the First Battalion.

But he thought for a long time and couldn't think of any good solution. The defense of the Chinese army on the opposite side was very good, and it was impossible to judge whether the Chinese army had any tricks in their positions. Who knew whether the Chinese army had buried explosives on their positions.

This time, the Chinese army planted explosives 80 to 100 meters in front of the position, but what about further ahead? Even if the Chinese army did not plant explosives in front of the position, the combat purpose of our troops was to occupy this defensive position. At that time, should our troops enter the position of the Chinese army? Once they enter the position, they may be ambushed by the Chinese army. Major Fujii Kyuichi felt that this choice was too difficult.

When the regiment commander, Major Hidenosuke Yamada, heard from Colonel Kyuichi Fujii that more than 300 soldiers were still alive, he was relieved. It was a blessing in disguise that not all of them died. The lost soldiers would be replenished quickly from the mainland. The only pity was the large loss of officers.

"Captain Fujii Shuichi, it's up to your Second Battalion now. Just now, you were observing the defensive operations of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government from the back. I believe you have a certain understanding of the Chinese army's combat methods. I hope you can defeat the troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government on the opposite side, occupy this blocking position, and win the first victory for our 42nd Regiment." The regiment commander, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, shifted the topic directly to the subsequent offensive arrangements.

Originally, the commander of the regiment, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, was going to let the Third Battalion continue the attack, but after calming down, he thought about it and decided that it would be more reasonable to let the Second Battalion carry out the attack. The troops of the Third Battalion are still preparing for battle at the starting position, but the Second Battalion is already familiar with the situation here during the previous rescue operations, so it would be more reasonable for the Second Battalion to attack.

When Major Kyuichi Fujii, the captain of the Second Battalion, heard the order from Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, the commander of the regiment, he felt bitter. He had indeed observed the defensive operations of the Chinese army very carefully before, but the more carefully he observed, the less confident he was that he could occupy this position in one go.

"Sir, the Second Battalion will definitely bring victory to the 42nd Regiment. However, we have to guard against the Chinese army's dirty tricks. I'm more worried that the Chinese army will continue to bury explosives in the front." Colonel Fujii Kyuichi, the commander of the Second Battalion, also expressed his concerns directly. This was the issue that concerned him most.

The regiment commander, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, looked at Major Kyuichi Fujii and nodded. The fact that Major Kyuichi Fujii could raise such concerns showed that he had really thought about this issue seriously, which was much better than some reckless officers.

"Captain Fujii Shuichi, you can rest assured about this matter. Before this attack, I will let the artillery unit bombard the Chinese army's positions several times. Moreover, I believe that the Chinese army will not bury explosives too close to their positions. After all, if the explosives explode at such a close distance, it will also have an impact on their own positions." Then Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke also told him his own plan.

After listening to the words of the regiment commander, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, the captain of the Second Battalion, Major Kyuichi Fujii, was speechless. The solution proposed by the regiment commander was simply an attempt to cover up one's own mistakes. Before the attack, the artillery units of the First Battalion had also carried out artillery attacks for a long time. However, the artillery bombardments of the field artillery units obviously could not clear the way for the attacking troops. This method was purely self-psychological comfort.

However, Major Fujii Kyuichi did not dare to express his doubts about the regiment commander, Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke. He could only bow immediately to show that he understood, and then turned around to organize the troops. He felt that it would be more practical to discuss the actual tactics with the officers in the army as soon as possible. He did not expect the regiment commander to give any good suggestions.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Kinsaburo Yasumi was looking at the large group of wounded soldiers in the regiment's medical station with mixed feelings. The heart-wrenching cries of the wounded soldiers would make people feel very irritated if they listened for a long time, and those wounded soldiers who made no sound were even more miserable. It was estimated that it would be difficult for them to get through this.

After talking to the military doctor at the medical station, the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Yasumi Kinsaburo, came to Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke, the commander of the regiment, who was observing the Chinese defense position, and whispered, "Commander, the military doctor at the medical station just told me that about half of the soldiers of the first battalion who were evacuated are unlikely to survive. The explosion of the explosives damaged the internal organs of many people, and the soldiers who survived were basically disabled after they recovered."

The commander of the regiment, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, put down the telescope in his hand. He understood the meaning of the words of the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Yasumi Kinsaburo. That was to tell him that his First Battalion was gone and he would not have to consider the First Battalion in future operations. The new 22nd Army of the Chinese government was giving him a great warning.

"Mr. Yasumi, through the previous attacks we can see that the morale of the new 22nd Army of the Chinese government is high, their defense organization is very solid, and they are very skilled in the use of tactics and strategies. This is completely different from the heavy losses suffered by the Chinese army as stated in the previous battle report of the 41st Regiment. It seems that the commander of the 41st Regiment, Okabe Kan'ichi, lied about the results of the battle. Shunde should have been voluntarily abandoned by the Chinese army." The commander of the regiment, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, told the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Kinsaburo Yasumi about what he had figured out.

The commander of the 41st Regiment, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, also expressed his understanding of the 41st Regiment's false reporting of battle results. In this situation, when the battle situation is not good, the chief officers of each unit will add some exaggeration to the battle reports. But understanding is understanding, and the commander of the 41st Regiment, Colonel Kanichi Okabe, should explain it clearly to yourself in private. I will not spread it around.

Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada also knew that the commander of the 41st Regiment, Colonel Kan'ichi Okabe, was afraid that he would let the secret slip outside, so he did not explain it to him in detail in order to keep the matter confidential. But by doing this, you have put your 42nd Regiment in an even more dangerous situation.

Now, facing the troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese Government, which actually did not suffer much loss, it would be difficult for the 42nd Regiment to achieve any good results even with the reinforcement of two battalions. This has been well reflected in the results of the previous attack of the First Battalion.

After hearing what the commander of the regiment, Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke, the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Yasumi Kinsaburo, said with a look of grief and indignation: "The 41st Regiment is too dishonest. We are all members of the 5th Division. After the war, we must report this matter to the division commander."

Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke, the commander of the regiment, looked at the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Yasumi Kinsaburo, who had a face full of resentment, shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "Yashimi-kun, it's useless. Colonel Okabe Kan'ichi, the commander of the 41st regiment, has achieved his goal. Our 42nd regiment is now on the same boat with the 41st regiment. Moreover, we have no way to prove whether the combat effectiveness of the new 22nd Army of the Chinese government has been seriously damaged, because they can say that they suffered too many casualties due to our poor command and the officers and soldiers' lack of enthusiasm in fighting. This is a confusing account and cannot be explained clearly."

Only after listening to the analysis of the regiment commander, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, did Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Sato Hideaki understand all this with grief and indignation. Indeed, when summarizing the war after the war, they could only stand on the same front with the 41st Regiment to fight against the pressure from the headquarters.

"Mr. Yasumi, Major General Juro Goto, the commander of the 104nd Brigade of the 132th Division, probably has the same plan. Their losses are quite large. If not many people come together to share the responsibility, Major General Juro Goto will probably be forced to transfer to the reserve after the war." The regiment commander, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, also thought the problem through more clearly.

It was only after he personally entered into this situation that he figured out these problems. Now, he has successfully boarded their broken ship and can only go all the way to the end.

"Then, Your Excellency the Regiment Commander, will the Second Battalion continue its attack?" After understanding these issues, Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Yasumi Kinsaburo put forward the current actual situation.

"Of course, the Second Battalion's attack must continue. This is the combat goal set by the headquarters. No matter how great the losses are, we must complete it. Otherwise, our regiment will bear the greatest responsibility after the war." The regiment commander, Colonel Hidenosuke Yamada, decided to attack.

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