Bright Sword: Japs, times have changed

Taiyuan.

The headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

Yoshio Shinozuka and Toshi Miyano were playing chess in the living room. Both of them were very serious, as if the war outside had nothing to do with them.

After a few moves, Miyano Shun was defeated and praised, "Commander-in-Chief, your chess skills are becoming more and more sophisticated. I am inferior to you!"

Flattery is a skill in itself. Shinozuka Yoshio was in high spirits after winning the game of Go, and his horse was patted, which further boosted his mood. He suddenly sighed, "Since arriving in this country with such a rich cultural heritage, I've developed a sense of belonging, as if the people living here are our ancestors."

Before Miyano Shun could even spurt his horse, a communications officer hurried over with a telegram in hand and knocked on the door. "Your Excellency, Commander, Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, please excuse my intrusion. There's an urgent telegram coming from Heyuan County."

Yoshio Shinozuka frowned when he heard this. This was the news he least wanted to hear, especially the news from Heyuan County.

After finally resolving Ono's last mistake, he was worried that he would get into trouble again this time. If the situation was serious, he would not be able to protect the other party.

Miyano Shun was tactful and took the telegram and handed it to Shinozuka Yoshio.

After just one glance, Yoshio Shinozuka slammed the telegram in his hand on the table with such force that all the chess pieces on the chessboard fell to the ground.

"idiot!"

"Bagaya Road!"

"Contact the Heyuan County Military Police immediately and have that loser Ono Jiro answer the phone!"

He didn't understand that the train station was not far from the county town, and he had personally issued an order that a battalion of troops must be used to ensure the operation of the train station.

After several large-scale operations, the main forces of the Eighth Route Army hid in the mountains and withdrew their forces, although they did not dare to take the initiative to start a war.

However, Yoshio Shinozuka had absolute confidence that the Eighth Route Army would not dare to send its main forces to provoke a war.

Including this time, Ono Jiro has been humiliated repeatedly by an unknown team, especially after seeing the brief description on the telegram, a squadron of troops was almost wiped out.

Judging from the gunfire, the team that ambushed them numbered less than fifty people.

Such a failed battle was a huge blow to the arrogant Japanese, and seriously affected the overall morale of the team.

The culprit behind all this was actually a team of less than 50 people, which might not even have a formal number.

What a shame!

What's more, the railway station in Qinghe Town is particularly important, as it concerns the transportation of supplies and troop mobilization in the entire northwest Shanxi battlefield.

Seeing that the communications officer ignored his words, Shinozuka Yoshio grew increasingly angry and demanded, "Didn't you hear my orders? Contact the Heyuan County Military Police immediately and have that loser Ono Jiro answer the phone!"

"Commander, as soon as I received the telegram, I called Ono-sama to confirm the authenticity of this information."

Hearing the communications officer's words, Shinozuka Yoshio suppressed his anger and asked, "And then?"

The communications officer lowered his head and said tremblingly, "After receiving the news, Lord Ono immediately led his troops to the train station. The current situation is unclear, but Lord Yamamoto has already arrived in Heyuan County and is waiting for Lord Ono at the military police."

When he heard the name of Yamamoto Ikki, Shinozuka Yoshio's anger eased a little, but when he thought about the supplies in the train station, most of them were used to help Yamamoto reorganize the Sakata Company. Now that they suffered heavy losses, he didn't know how to explain it.

After hesitating for a moment, Yoshio Shinozuka still did not plan to contact Yamamoto in person, so he asked the communications staff to send a telegram.

…………

Heyuan County.

The Japanese gendarmerie.

As soon as the telegram was received, the signalman handed it over to Yamamoto Ikki.

When Yamamoto learned that the telegram was sent by Commander Yoshio Shinozuka himself, he thought it was good news and couldn't wait to pick it up and check it.

From the initial anticipation, it gradually turned into disbelief, and finally to speechless anger.

After reading the entire telegram, Yamamoto was completely furious.

But professional training allowed him to calm down quickly...

Calm down, Yamamoto angrily tore up the telegram in his hand.

The news of the train station attack had little impact on him. The main purpose of his visit was to take away the supplies transported from the headquarters and reorganize the defeated Sakata Regiment.

Yamamoto was very confident about this mission, and he took the initiative to volunteer to reorganize the Sakata Regiment, which meant that in the future he would not only use his own special forces team, but also a combat team that could defeat the Eighth Route Army on the front battlefield.

But now, all plans have gone to waste.

The train station was attacked and all supplies were destroyed. It is unknown how long the plan to reorganize the Sakata Regiment will be postponed, or it may even be cancelled directly.

This was bad news for Yamamoto and caused serious damage to his future plans.

After briefly learning the details of the attack in the gendarmerie, Yamamoto Kazuki took the initiative to call Yoshio Shinozuka.

When the call was connected, Shinozuka Yoshio thought it was that loser Ono calling him back, and he immediately started cursing: "You loser, you still have the nerve to call me? This failure has made you unfit to even commit seppuku!"

He was inexplicably scolded. Although he knew that he was not the one being scolded, Yamamoto's eyes were still a little fierce: "Commander, it's me, Yamamoto Ikki."

"Yamamoto-kun?"

"Commander, I have something to say about the attack on the train station."

Hearing that Yamamoto had something to say, Shinozuka Yoshio suppressed his anger and asked, "I wonder what Yamamoto-kun has to say?"

Yamamoto didn't speak directly. Instead, he covered the receiver with his hand and drove everyone out. After making sure no one could hear him, he lowered his voice and said, "Commander, I know you want me to replace Ono's team, but I don't want to. In my opinion, this team is just a ragtag group with no combat effectiveness. Taking over such a team will only bring shame to me."

"I've also learned some intelligence about the attack on this train station, so I'd like you to agree to let me pursue this group. Once I find them, I'll ensure they're wiped out in one fell swoop!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was strongly opposed by Shinozuka Yoshio: "This is impossible, Yamamoto-kun. It would be a shame for you to do such a thing. You can do things that others can't. Believe me, there will be a chance for you to show your skills."

It took a lot of effort for Yoshio Shinozuka to get Yamamoto Ikki to the battlefield in northwestern Shanxi. It was impossible for him to use this good sword to chop wood.

It is believed that Yamamoto should be like a sharp blade, which, once unsheathed, should pierce straight into the enemy's heart.

However, Yamamoto disagreed and retorted, "Commander, this team may not be numerous, but their combat effectiveness is extremely strong. They can defeat an entire squadron. If we allow them to continue to develop, it is very likely to cause irreparable damage to the layout of the northwest Shanxi battlefield. I believe they must be eliminated."

Shinozuka Yoshio had his own ideas. How could a colonel persuade him, as a commander, to do the talking? He immediately said, "I'll give this mission to Ono. Your mission is to find the Eighth Route Army headquarters hiding in the mountains, at the corps level or above, and inflict the greatest damage on them at the lowest cost."

The intelligence intercepted in Taiyuan last time allowed Yamamoto to find the approximate location of the Eighth Route Army headquarters, but in the process of advancing, he accidentally encountered the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army Independent Regiment.

After Yamamoto Ikki alerted the enemy, Shinozuka Yoshio guessed that the Eighth Route Army's headquarters would definitely move. Yamamoto's current task was to find its location and then launch a devastating attack.

Yamamoto, however, was unwilling to continue wasting time. He desperately needed a victory to boost morale. To gain Shinozuka Yoshio's approval, he even fabricated a lie: "Commander, I believe the Eighth Route Army troops that attacked the train station this time are very likely to be specially trained troops like mine, and they also have the same weapons and equipment as my troops."

"A team like this cannot be eliminated by ordinary teams. For example, whether it is the Eighth Route Army or the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, it is impossible for them to eliminate my team."

The more he said this, the more Shinozuka Yoshio became more determined in his inner thoughts. He would rather let Ono lead the team to death than let Yamamoto Ikki suffer any losses.

He immediately said in an irresistible tone and words: "There is no need to discuss this matter further. I will find a way to reorganize the Sakata League. Your task now is to find a suitable target to attack and ensure that you can successfully inflict damage on it!"

Having said this, Yamamoto naturally didn't dare to insist any further: "Hey!"