Draw the sword and cure the fear of insufficient firepower

It is said that after the First Division formulated a plan to liberate the entire Shanxi Province, it immediately obtained the consent of the headquarters and Yan'an.

The headquarters dispatched a large number of troops from the base to assist the First Division in clearing out the remaining Japanese invaders in Shanxi Province.

The Eighth Route Army is advancing on multiple fronts. The firepower of a company in the first division is now stronger than that of an entire regiment of the Japanese.

It’s just that we are at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.

Fortunately, with the reinforcement of friendly troops, personnel is not a problem.

Therefore, after the first division withdrew, the troops were quickly divided up, basically in company units. Even the tanks of the armored regiment were dispersed to ensure that each unit had a tank.

The artillery regiment's Katyusha rocket launchers and the armored regiment's self-propelled howitzers also dispersed and joined the troops with their own attack missions.

The Air Force also conducts routine patrols throughout Shanxi Province and is ready to support friendly forces in combat at any time.

There are still several cities in Jin Province in the hands of the Japanese, including Datong, the resource city that Lin Tian wanted to take over before.

During this period, the Eighth Route Army made rapid progress with unstoppable force.

The Japanese were beaten so badly that they fled away in panic, unable to fight back.

Those who had betrayed their consciences and joined the Locust Alliance were also feeling quite uncomfortable.

When the Eighth Route Army started fighting, they didn't care whether they were Japanese or not.

As long as they did not surrender or betray the enemy immediately, they would be bombarded with artillery fire. By the time they came to their senses, the guns of the Eighth Route Army would be pointed at their heads.

Large areas of occupied areas in Shanxi Province were liberated.

Following the troops were cadres sent from the headquarters. These cadres followed the troops, and every time a place was liberated, they quickly established their own regime there.

The troops will also leave some personnel stationed there to maintain public order and assist these cadres in their work.

The people of Shanxi Province are more lively these days than during the Chinese New Year, with every household beating gongs to welcome liberation.

The Eighth Route Army, which liberated them, was covered in red and decorated with colorful ribbons, and cheers were heard everywhere.

There were even some fierce troops that made it all the way into Hebei Province. This time, the Japanese were frightened by the Eighth Route Army and were unable to resist, nor did they dare to resist, for fear of provoking another large force from the First Division. They did not want to die.

In desperation, the Japs could only shrink their defense line and be on guard against the attack of the Eighth Route Army at all times.

At the same time, major newspapers across the country reported this exciting news.

Major headlines praised the Eighth Route Army’s achievements, calling it a divine army that saved the country and the people.

What's more, some people directly praised the Eighth Route Army as the savior of China.

In particular, Lin Tianhe and the First Division, who played a decisive role in this battle, were given special mention.

When countless people saw Lin Tian’s name, they remembered that not long ago, it was this Lin Tian who led more than 700 troops to annihilate the Japanese Fourth Brigade.

At that time, Lin Tian was called a national hero by the people of the whole country.

When people recalled the grand occasion at that time and looked at Lin Tian’s performance this time, they were more convinced that Lin Tian was a national hero.

Before Lin Tian, ​​China also had victories in wars against Japan, but none of them was like this time, where the Japanese army of more than 100,000 was completely wiped out.

This is a total annihilation, not a defeat, nor a repulse, but a total annihilation.

This is something that ordinary people find difficult to do.

I would like to ask, in the whole of China, which general, which army, has such courage and ability.

For a time, all the unmarried girls in the country were imagining what this young general in his early twenties looked like and whether he was married...

……

Some are happy and some are sad.

The Eighth Route Army's large-scale action in Shanxi Province caused cheers across the country.

But the situation is different for some people in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Central Army.

This news brought them an unprecedented shock.

The combat effectiveness and mobility of the Eighth Route Army revealed in this battle made them feel terrified.

Jinsui Army Headquarters.

Officer Yan paced back and forth anxiously in the bright room, coughing continuously, and his anxious mood could no longer be concealed...

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief! The Eighth Route Army has basically wiped out the Japanese in Shanxi Province. Now they are occupying territories everywhere and sending officials, as if they want to firmly control Shanxi Province!" The chief of staff came trotting in with the intelligence sent back from the front line and said hurriedly.

"What? Damn it!" Commander Yan was shocked when he heard this. This was the situation he least wanted to see.

Jin Province is such a small place that the headquarters of his Second War Zone had long been moved to Qiulin County of Qin Province. The Jinsui Army was also constantly being squeezed out of its living space in the battles with the Japanese, and its defense line was retreating again and again.

Now they only have five counties in their hands, and the Eighth Route Army will occupy almost all the territory of Shanxi Province.

Where would this put his Jinsui Army?

"Cough, cough, cough!" Commander Yan coughed violently. The chief of staff hurried forward and gently patted Commander Yan on the back.

"Alas, when the Eighth Route Army first crossed the Yellow River to enter Shanxi Province to fight against the Japanese, I said that I was dancing on three eggs."

"The Central Army, the devils, the Eighth Route Army, none of them is easy to mess with."

"Now, the Eighth Route Army has wiped out the devils in Shanxi Province, and the Central Army has to temporarily avoid the front line. I am now being suppressed under the only big mountain of the Eighth Route Army, and I am being pressed to the point of suffocation..."

Commander Yan covered his violently heaving chest with one hand, supported the table with the other, and looked eastwards, his eyes full of helplessness and bitterness, the taste of which no one could understand...

……

chongqing.

Central Army Operations Hall.

"Naughty! Naughty!"

"The Yin country is incompetent and has lost its sovereignty and humiliated the country! An army of 500,000 men was helpless against the devils, and this division stole the limelight!"

"Do these newspapers still want to open?!"

"This battle was clearly won under the strong command of our Central Army, but they only publicized the achievements of Division 1 and Lin Tian, ​​and didn't mention our Central Army at all! This is outrageous, outrageous!!"

The boss was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, swept the stack of newspapers in front of him to the ground, and cursed.

"Yunnong! What are you doing! I have said long ago that public opinion must be firmly controlled in our hands. These newspapers are under your responsibility. You must strike back when it is time to strike. I think they are a bit lawless! If I see such reports again, you know the consequences!" The officer turned around and shouted at a man in a long gown.

"Yes! I will definitely get it done!" Yunong's scalp tingled and cold sweat broke out on his back. He lowered his head and turned around quickly to walk out of the meeting room of the Operations Hall.

In the corner of the conference room, two generals whispered to each other: "Haha, it's not that there is no report about the Central Army. Look at this newspaper. It said that when the Japanese attacked the Sichuan Army's defense line, the Central Army of Yin Country did not move. It carried forward the fine tradition of the National Army. When friendly troops are in trouble, they remain as still as a mountain. Haha..."

"Pfft..."

The people around couldn't help laughing, then glanced at the angry officer and found that he was looking at them angrily, so they all lowered their heads...