Traveling through 1937, starting from the Battle of Songhu

Taiyuan, the Japanese headquarters.

After receiving the report, Shinozuka Yoshio took a deep breath and said to Yamaoka Michitake, "Yamaoka-kun, do you think the Independent Brigade is really interested in Pingding County?"

Yamaoka Michitake thought for a moment and said, "With the strength of the Independent Brigade's 3rd Regiment, it won't be a problem for them to take down the Xiaojin Brigade in Pingding. Previously in Yangquan, they deployed no less than ten heavy artillery pieces. Now we have to see if they will really attack Pingding."

Shinozuka Yoshio nodded slightly and said, "Yuci is only a little over a hundred kilometers away from Pingding County. If we need support, it will only take a few hours given our marching advantage."

He stood up, walked to the front of the map, studied it for a moment, shook his head and said, "Pingding County is not suitable for a major war, and the imperial army's heavy artillery has not yet arrived. It is not the right time to start a major war."

He really couldn't resist the temptation to encircle and suppress the independent brigade, and directly mobilized two divisions and the remaining 33th and th Mixed Brigades. If the th Brigade guarding the railway line and the rd Mixed Brigade for peacekeeping were added, the total strength would exceed .

In fact, if the second batch of heavy artillery shipped from their homeland had not arrived yet, he would have taken action a few days ago.

Yamaoka Michitake asked, "Commander, do you want the Kogane Brigade to evacuate?"

Shinozuka Yoshio pointed to the point of Yuci on the map and said, "Yuci is the decisive battle zone I chose. Didn't the Independent Brigade want to take Yuci before? This time I will play along with them."

"The Imperial Army can deploy over 60,000 troops in Yuci, plus 30,000 Imperial Auxiliary Army troops. I don't believe the Empire can fail again."

"Once the Imperial Army recovers, it won't be difficult to recapture some of the cities, but we can't let the Independent Brigade and the Eighth Route Army recklessly consume the Imperial Army's manpower, so the Xiaojin Brigade must withdraw."

Yamaoka Michitake was a little worried. He glanced at Shinozuka Yoshio and said, "Commander-in-Chief, judging from the recent battle reports, the Eighth Route Army has exposed no fewer than 300,000 troops. If they join the battlefield, the pressure on the Imperial Army will be enormous."

"If the Eighth Route Army joins the Yuci battlefield, we have to be on guard." Shinozuka Yoshio frowned and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Request tactical guidance from the North China Front Army, and have them tie down the Eighth Route Army's Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area and force Nie's troops to withdraw."

"Order the 6th and 26th Divisions to cease attacking and enter a defensive position."

"Order the 181st, 186th, and 192nd Divisions to return in a big way."

"Order all fighters within the First Army's area to prepare and support the Yuci battlefield once the war begins."

Upon hearing this, Yamaoka Michitake was shocked and couldn't help asking, "Do you mean to lure out the other regiments of the independent brigade?"

Shinozuka Yoshio said decisively: "Gaojia Town is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack. If that's the case, there's no need to waste time there."

He was actually suffering as well. He hadn't expected that even with so many troops mobilized, they couldn't even take down a small town like Gaojia. Even now, the combined losses of all divisions had exceeded ten thousand. This was indeed something he hadn't expected.

Yamaoka Michitake stopped talking. The commander's move was too big, and he was worried that there would be accidents later. After all, the independent brigade was not so easy to deal with.

However, he was very clear that it was impossible for the two sides to reconcile after fighting for so long, and one of them would inevitably fall.

Half an hour later, in the meeting room of the Japanese headquarters, Yoshio Shinozuka gathered a group of Japanese officers to discuss the specific battle plan.

As for the Xiaojin Brigade, they didn't dare to delay for a moment after receiving the order, and directly abandoned the city with their troops, without any intention of staying. This made Gu Changfeng, who received the news, a little confused. He was preparing to take Pingding overnight...

In the next few days, as Yoshio Shinozuka conveyed his orders one by one, several Japanese divisions were quickly mobilized, targeting Yuci.

Gu Changfeng also received orders from headquarters to continue waiting for the opportunity.

Of course, the wait was not in vain. When Gu Changfeng received reinforcements from several Japanese divisions, he naturally followed Shinozuka Yoshio's wishes and transferred the artillery regiment, the 1st regiment and the 6th regiment, leaving only the 5th regiment to guard Gaojia Town.

With the large-scale troop mobilization in the Jinzhong area, the friction between the two sides in the area around Yuci has further escalated.

Since each unit obtained the 107 rocket launcher drawings produced by the independent brigade, the combat efficiency of the Eighth Route Army was greatly improved.

In the past, the main force of the Eighth Route Army had to take a detour when encountering the Japanese artillery towers and bunkers, but now they have become decorations in front of the simplified version of 107. A few rockets can turn a artillery tower into a living coffin.

Up to now, the divisions have been fighting and even feel that they are getting richer and richer. It has to be said that it is really comfortable to rob the Japanese.

Five days later, in Feng'an Town, Shouyang, the Japanese 129th Division Fengmu Brigade was stationed.

In order to prevent the independent brigade from taking the first action, Yoshio Shinozuka recalled several divisions and sent them directly to several areas around Shouyang.

As a result, Gu Changfeng's scouts discovered that there was a large army stationed there. Naturally, he had no need to waste time with the Japanese, so he took the initiative.

After accumulating points over this period of time, Gu Changfeng's points increased to more than 30,000. Of course, he would not forget the 16th Regiment that had just arrived. Both regiments were equipped with 15 guns and 500 rounds of artillery shells.

After Huang Zhengkui received the fifteen heavy artillery pieces from Gu Changfeng, he was very confident and started the battle with a heavy artillery attack.

The attack of the 1st Regiment's artillery battalion stunned Major General Fengmu in the Japanese command. The two sides had fought before, but how could the 1st Regiment of the Independent Brigade have so many heavy artillery pieces?

Huang Zhengkui didn't care what the Japanese thought. After a round of coverage, he directly used the 107 rocket launcher.

A large number of artillery shells fell, almost covering the entire position of the Fengmu Brigade. It was a real artillery bombardment. The trenches that the Japanese had just dug could not withstand the covering attack of heavy artillery. The circular fortifications that made the Japanese famous became a complete burial ground.

"Bakayarū, where did the Independent Brigade get so many heavy artillery pieces?"

Major General Mineki's words could not give him an answer. At this time, the Japanese soldiers under his command were already trembling under the cover of artillery fire, praying for Aunt Amaterasu's blessing, and no one had time to care about him.

Boom boom boom!

After fighting for a few minutes, the regiment switched to mortars and infantry guns. This situation almost drove the old Japanese soldier Fengmu crazy. It was completely unreasonable.

The Japanese positions were plowed several times by artillery fire, and the trenches that had just been dug were completely flattened. A large number of Japanese were buried in the collapsed trenches, and the casualties were very heavy.

Only the Japanese command headquarters was not greatly damaged because it was deep underground and covered with a large number of trees.

The first regiment could only attack open fortifications and exposed targets, and had no way to deal with the Japanese command headquarters.

Finally, after ten minutes of artillery fire, a regiment of artillery began to evacuate in an orderly manner. Major General Fengmu was relieved and sat on the ground gasping for breath, not showing the demeanor of a Japanese major general at all.

"Kichimaru-kun, the enemy's artillery bombardment seems to have ended. They must have run out of ammunition. Hurry and organize the warriors to repair the fortifications and prepare for the attack of the independent brigade's infantry."

After sitting on the ground for a while, Fengmu finally reacted and gave the order.

Mainly due to the heavy artillery attack, almost everyone in the Japanese command center was shocked and their heads were buzzing. They only recovered now.

Lieutenant Colonel Yoshimaru immediately reacted upon hearing the order and said, "Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, I will immediately organize the troops to recover their position and teach them a lesson."

Five kilometers away from the Japanese position, Huang Zhengkui grinned and said, "Is the Third Company of the Artillery Battalion ready? If they are, tell them to hurry up. I've never felt so good before, haha."

There was no way he was willing to let the Japanese go just like that, as he still had his ammunition left.