Traveling through 1937, starting from the Battle of Songhu

A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Katayama Shotaro was already afraid of the combat effectiveness of the independent brigade. Now that reinforcements have arrived, how can he continue fighting?

A few minutes later, Katayama Shotaro spoke with difficulty, "Yamazawa-kun, there must be a conspiracy. Your troops must hold Shouyang for two days. I will report to the commander immediately!"

This situation was no longer under the control of his Fourth Brigade, not to mention that Yamazawa's regiment did not belong to the Fourth Mixed Brigade, they were just close.

After receiving the reply, Shizuka Yamazawa was stunned. Without thinking much, he called his own brigade.

Since the 4th Brigade could not provide immediate support, he had to find a way out on his own. Otherwise, with the firepower of the independent brigade, more than a battalion of troops in his hands and some puppet troops, he would not be able to hold out for two days.

At the Taiyuan First Army Headquarters, Yamaoka Michitake looked at Shinozuka Yoshio, who looked unhappy, and paused for a moment before speaking.

"Commander, the main forces of the 3rd and 4th Regiments of the Independent Brigade have broken through the Shouyang blockade and are now surrounding Shouyang."

"In addition, the 385th and 386th Brigades of the Eighth Route Army have also begun to move. It is not yet clear where their target is."

These words made Yoshio Shinozuka's face turn dark instantly.

Most of his troops were originally sent to Baoding, Shijiazhuang, and Laiyuan to deal with the Eighth Route Army and the Independent Brigade. Unexpectedly, they didn't play along at all and were targeting Yuci and even Taiyuan where he was...

Yoshio Shinozuka was in a dilemma. He only had one division of mobile forces at his disposal, and he had no confidence in facing the Independent Brigade and the Eighth Route Army.

After a while, Shinozuka Yoshio breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Yamaoka, with so many troops mobilized throughout Jinzhong and Hedong, it seems our two old rivals have quite the appetite!"

In fact, what he didn't know was that many units of the Eighth Route Army had not yet started to move. In terms of the combat plan, the Eighth Route Army's coverage targets included the coast in the east, Jinsui in the west, the Yellow River in the south, and the frontier in the north, including Hebei, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and other places. It was definitely a huge undertaking.

And with the independent brigade, the boss has bigger plans. He wants to see if the independent brigade can capture Yuci or even Taiyuan.

Yamaoka Michitake thought for a moment and said, "Commander, do you need to order the newly promoted 153rd Division to Shouyang?"

He didn't take Qi County's affairs seriously. The Independent Brigade was the real enemy!

Shinozuka Yoshio shook his head and said, "Yamaoka-kun, don't worry. The Independent Brigade is very good at besieging and attacking reinforcements. A small Shouyang can't withstand the attack of two regiments of the Independent Brigade!"

"We've been fighting the Independent Brigade for a long time. We have no idea how many of their troops are still waiting to show up."

Ever since the spies in Gaojia Town were cleared out, the information he could get about the Independent Brigade had been limited. According to his current estimate, the Independent Brigade had at least 20,000 troops, or even more, and he was worried that there would be some accidents among them.

In case the independent brigade has prepared several reserve regiments, the troops they send out to support may easily be ambushed. He still needs to see this clearly.

When Yamaoka Michitake heard the commander's words, he seemed to have suddenly realized something and said in agreement, "Commander, your Excellency is very thoughtful and considerate. It's really great!"

"Now that we know the Independent Brigade's plot, how should the Imperial Army respond? Will Shouyang still need to be rescued?"

Shinozuka Yoshio was very satisfied with Yamaoka's cooperation. He nodded slightly and continued, "Yamaoka-kun, Shouyang must be saved, but the timing depends on the situation. We need to observe Shouyang further. If the Independent Brigade has any conspiracy, they will never take Shouyang easily."

"Order the Shouyang garrison regiment to hold out for three days. If they can hold, it will prove that the independent brigade is encircling the point and attacking the reinforcements."

"Also, since the independent brigade has come to our side, their deployment in Laiyuan must be empty. Order the divisions and brigades in Baoding, Shijiazhuang, and Laiyuan to all move and implement the cleanup plan!"

"Order the 36th and 41st Divisions to return for support!"

He had not moved the 36th and 41st Divisions before because he thought that the troops he had at hand were sufficient to deal with the problem. However, since the independent brigade had arrived in Yuci, he naturally had to start taking it seriously.

Hearing the commander's mobilization order, Yamaoka Michitake was shocked. He didn't expect that the commander would directly mobilize these two divisions...

Yoshio Shinozuka didn't care what Yamaoka thought. He was still analyzing the independent brigade's strategy.

"Three regiments of the Independent Brigade entered the Yuci and Shouyang areas. I suspect that even if the Independent Brigade has troops hidden, they won't be too many."

"Furthermore, the Independent Brigade has penetrated deep into the Imperial Army's security zone. This is a case of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly. By the time the two divisions return and close the gap in the blockade again, the Independent Brigade will be unable to escape!"

"Even if Laiyuan and Shijiazhuang's divisions can trap the Independent Brigade and pin down the Eighth Route Army, after we've dealt with the Independent Brigade's several regiments here, we can send a large army to clean up Gaojia Town and destroy their arsenal..."

Yoshio Shinozuka became more and more excited as he spoke, as if victory was just around the corner, leaving the staff officer Michitake Yamaoka speechless.

He really wanted to remind the commander that the independent brigade was different from other troops, but seeing the commander so excited, he could only choose to shut up.

Yoshio Shinozuka spoke for a long time, and Michitake Yamaoka listened respectfully, nodding from time to time to show that he agreed with the commander's words.

Finally, when Shinozuka Yoshio was still talking, he suddenly remembered another team and asked, "How is the training of Yamaki's special forces team going?"

Yamaoka Michitake thought for a moment and said, "Commander, Yamaki is in Taiyuan. Under your guidance, the special attack team has been training in the mountains for nearly a year. During this period, they have been to the battlefield several times and have achieved good results."

This matter was arranged by Yoshio Shinozuka shortly after he became the commander of the First Army. It was impossible for Yoshio Shinozuka to ignore the special forces of the independent brigade, so he now had the idea of ​​activating the Yamaki Special Attack Team.

"Let Yamaki come over. I think it's time to use them." A cold light flashed in Yoshio Shinozuka's eyes. He wanted to use the special attacks team to deal with the special attacks team of the independent brigade.

Not long after, Yamaki Ichiro came to Shinozuka Yoshio's office. Shinozuka Yoshio looked at Yamaki with a determined face and said, "Yamaki-kun, it's been almost a year. Are you ready?"

Upon hearing this, Shanmu's face was filled with excitement, and he replied loudly: "Commander, Shanmu is willing to serve you!"

"Yoshi!" Shinozuka Yoshio nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yanmu, there's an old Chinese saying that goes, 'A man should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence.' In the past year, you've become more composed than before."

"This time, I need your special forces team to make immortal contributions to the empire. Do you understand?"

"Hi!" Shanmu leaned his legs together and replied respectfully, "Please give me your signal, Commander!"

Shinozuka Yoshio suddenly felt a chill running down his spine. He stared intently at Yamaki and said sternly, "Gu Changfeng, the commander of the independent brigade, I suspect he's already near Yuci. He'll definitely be bringing his special forces with him."

"So, I need you to give him a fatal blow at the critical moment. The Empire's intelligence department will cooperate with you to find him."

"Your mission is to eliminate him at all costs, even if it means sacrificing the entire special forces team. Do you understand?"

When Shanmu heard that the special attack team of the independent brigade had arrived, his blood immediately boiled. He said in a firm tone: "Commander, the Shanmu special attack team is ready. Please give the order!"

His hatred for the Independent Brigade was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. An outstanding warrior of the empire, leading a special attack team to perform a cleanup mission for the first time, actually failed, and the mission completion rate was almost zero. How could the proud Yamaki tolerate this?

He no longer takes his life seriously. He wants to avenge his previous humiliation, even if death on the battlefield awaits him!

Shinozuka Yoshio smiled, clapped his hands and said, "Yoshi, Yamaki-kun, go ahead. They're in the Yuci area. Go find them and keep a close eye on them!"

Needless to say, the Independent Brigade has become a major threat to the First Army and even the Japanese headquarters. It would not be excessive for Yoshio Shinozuka to mobilize heavy troops to encircle and suppress it.

If Gu Changfeng knew at this moment that the Japanese had joined two more divisions and even the Japanese special attack team had been dispatched, I wonder if he would have a headache again.