Draw the sword and cure the fear of insufficient firepower

This was actually Lin Tian's unintentional action before, which led to the current situation.

If he had not sent Fang Zheng to act alone at that time, but instead sent him to act with the main force, things would certainly not have been so smooth.

"Defend the country! Stop cleaning up the battlefield. Order the comrades to check their weapons and equipment and attack in the direction of Caojia Town!"

"The devils have more than 40,000 troops, which is enough for us to fight!"

Lin Tian ordered happily.

"Yes! Commander!" Zhou Weiguo replied.

"Get in the car! Everyone get in the car! Target Caojia Town! Go forward!" Zhou Weiguo turned around and ordered loudly.

……

Beiping, Headquarters of the North China Front Army.

Okamura Neiji's face turned pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at the military map in front of him.

"The situation...is not favorable to our locust army..."

"Has Kazuharu Furukawa started to retreat?!"

After more than ten minutes, Neiji Okamura slowly asked.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, Furukawa-kun has begun to retreat to the rear!"

"At present, we have discovered traces of four Central Army armies in the direction of Caojia Town and Huangshiling. It seems that they want to outflank us!"

The Chief of Staff reported.

"How is Masao Kimitsu doing?" Okamura Neiji continued to ask.

"Kimitsu Masao... managed to break through temporarily, but suffered heavy losses, with nearly half of his troops killed or wounded by the Eighth Route Army."

"At present, Kimitsu Masao is leading the remaining locust army to retreat, but... the Eighth Route Army is relentlessly pursuing them, and casualties are still increasing. There is a risk of being surrounded again at any time..."

The Chief of Staff continued to answer.

"This time... I have become a sinner of the empire..."

Okamura Neiji's eyes were red as he murmured absentmindedly.

He wanted to send the Air Force for reinforcement, but received news that two Zero fighter squadrons had been wiped out.

In other words, there are no longer any imperial aircraft in the sky over Jin Province.

Moreover, the imperial planes could not fly in, and once they entered, they would be shot down by the Eighth Route Army's fighter planes.

According to the news coming back from the front line, the locust army's attack was only slightly slow, and was generally successful.

The Sichuan Army is almost unable to hold on.

But at this critical moment, the ghostly division suddenly attacked from the left and right wings, catching the Locust Army off guard and causing the loss of more than 20,000 people and nearly 100 fighter planes and bombers.

Even the secret weapon No. 03 poison gas bomb was destroyed.

The locust army is doomed and there is no hope of a comeback.

Now, Masao Kimitsu's 17th Division has become an isolated force, trapped in the vast ocean of the Eighth Route Army base.

Kazuharu Furukawa only had 80,000 men left under his command, and there was a risk of being surrounded. Moreover, facing the Locust Army's greatest rival, the First Division, they had no hope of winning.

How to do?

Now how to do?

Before this, Yoshio Shinozuka had lost more than 50,000 locust soldiers in just one battle.

Could it be that now, at the hands of General Okamura Neiji, we will lose 150,000 people?

Thinking of this, Okamura Neiji's face turned pale as death.

"Order... Furukawa Kazuharu to withdraw as soon as possible at all costs!"

"Kimitsu Masao... let them find a way to break out..."

After a long time, Okamura Neiji finally uttered a few words.

The chief of staff felt a pang in his heart. The commander-in-chief who usually made all the plans had become so haggard in just a few days. It was as if all his energy had been drained away...

The commander-in-chief's words also surprised the chief of staff.

……

In a mountain forest 120 kilometers northwest of Ping'an County.

The destitute Masao Kimitsu finally found a place to stay with his remaining 10,000-odd soldiers.

It has been three days since they broke out, but the Eighth Route Army's pursuers are everywhere, and they have to stay vigilant at all times...

Often, the troops thought they had escaped the pursuit of the Eighth Route Army and could take a short rest, but just as they were about to start cooking, the Eighth Route Army attacked them. As they ran away, the food they had just cooked had to be abandoned.

Moreover, small groups of guerrillas from the Eighth Route Army had been harassing the Japanese constantly. The Japanese were exhausted both physically and mentally and had to be careful at all times, fearing that they might be killed by a bullet from somewhere.

As luck would have it, most of the baggage was abandoned during the breakout, and over the past few days, more than 10,000 people have eaten up the little remaining food.

The Japanese soldiers were all pale and thin, and their souls were dispirited, and the ferocious look in their eyes was no longer seen.

"Water...I want to drink water..."

"I'm hungry... I'm thirsty..."

"When can I go back... I want to drink some water..."

"I want to eat, I want to sleep..."

The Japanese soldiers collapsed in the forest. They had been running for a whole day and night under the scorching sun in the dog days of summer. Now they were exhausted and utterly tired.

Without food and supplies, there is no food to eat.

On the way of escape, I didn't even see a well, and the Chinese villages along the way were empty.

The Japanese soldiers rushed into the villagers' house, thinking they could find food and drink, but unexpectedly they found nothing.

It is obvious that the Chinese people here have already moved away...

"We found water! There's a spring over there!" Suddenly, several Japanese soldiers who were searching for water came back with dozens of kettles, clanking and shouting excitedly.

"Ah? Water! Give me some!"

“Give me a bite!”

"Ha, so cool, so sweet..."

"Send it to His Excellency the General!"

When the Japanese saw the water, they couldn't wait to rush forward to grab it. After drinking the water, the soldiers followed the Japanese who were fetching water and continued to move forward.

Cars could not move easily here, so the Japanese pulled horses and mules, carrying water bottles and water tanks, and headed towards the spring.

"Kill the horses! Kill another twenty horses to feed the warriors! After this meal, we have to continue our retreat!"

"This is the base of the Eighth Route Army. Be careful of all Chinese people. Kill them if you see them, otherwise they will definitely report our whereabouts to the Eighth Route Army!"

Masao Kimitsu leaned against a tree with his command knife beside him, and said exhaustedly.

One of the Japanese soldiers filled a lunch box with some water, built a tripod with branches, hung the lunch box on it, and boiled water for Masao Yoshimitsu to drink.

The horses have been killed, and the Japanese soldiers who went to fetch water have also returned.

The Japanese soldiers lit a fire, boiled water, and cooked horse meat with anticipation in their eyes. The fragrant smell of meat filled the entire forest.

Many Japanese soldiers couldn't wait any longer and ate up all the meat before it was even cooked.

……

"Captain, look, why is there so much smoke in the Black Wind Forest?"

"Yes, Captain, are the devils cooking in there?"

Outside the Black Wind Forest, soldiers from a company of the 772nd Regiment followed the wheel tracks left by the Japanese all the way here. A few sharp-eyed soldiers suddenly discovered that dozens of smoke were coming out of the forest, which was definitely strange.

"That's right, it's the Japanese! Quickly notify the main force!" The company commander looked at the tire tracks on the ground, then looked at Hei Fenglin, and said anxiously.