Anti-Japanese War: I have a million soldiers and you call me a division commander?

Chu Feng didn’t know the situation in Zhangjiakou City, as the troops were still preparing.

"Commander, a telegram from the 1st Air Brigade!"

At this moment, a combat staff officer hurried over and handed a telegram to Chu Feng.

"Ok?"

Chu Feng was stunned. He reached out to take the telegram and read its contents: "The Japanese and puppet troops in the county are gathering in large numbers, and in every direction?"

Looking at the telegram from the 1st Air Brigade, Chu Feng couldn't help but fall into deep thought: "Assembling? In every direction?!!"

"What are you trying to do? Are you going to fight me to the death in Zhangjiakou?"

While Chu Feng was thinking here, several senior staff officers beside him also fell silent.

After a long while, a senior staff officer said, "Commander, are the Japs trying to run away?"

Chu Feng was immediately interested when he heard this and said, "Tell me, what are your ideas?"

"Ok!"

The senior staff officer said, "If they are just going to fight us to the death in the battle for the county, there is no need to withdraw all the troops to the county walls and other aspects."

"Because they also know that our 1st Independent Division, whether it's infantry firepower or air firepower, has too many people and will be wiped out by our firepower."

"I don't think the Japs are stupid."

"But now, they're moving troops here, contrary to their usual practice. There's probably only one reason: they have other combat missions."

At this point, the senior staff officer paused slightly and said, "The Japanese now have two choices. One is to fight us to the death in the county town. If the town survives, the people will live. If the town is destroyed, the people will die."

"The other is to take the initiative and attack, drawing our main force while concentrating superior manpower and firepower to break through."

"This way they still have a chance to survive."

After hearing the senior staff's analysis, Chu Feng's mouth curled up slightly and continued to ask: "Then where do you think the Japanese will retreat to?"

"Rehe Province!"

As soon as Chu Feng asked the question, the senior staff officer answered without hesitation.

"To the south, the main force of the Japanese in the Pingjin area was surrounded by us. We were unable to provide them with support, and instead, we moved from one encirclement to another."

"Retreat to the north. There are no reinforcements there. Only a fool would choose that."

"They had only one choice, which was to retreat eastward to Rehe Province, where the Japanese Kwantung Army was stationed."

"This is the only place with a glimmer of hope." At this point, the senior staff officer looked at Chu Feng and said, "Division Commander, we should send the 1st Air Brigade to Chengde to investigate and see if the Japanese troops stationed here have made any moves."

"Hahahaha!"

Listening to the words of the senior staff, Chu Feng smiled. He was very happy. These senior staff were all reserve officers at the regimental and brigade levels. Their growth meant that the army would not be short of talent reserves in the future.

"Not bad, not bad, you've practiced it, and you have a good eye!" Chu Feng praised with a smile and continued, "Send a telegram to the 1st Air Brigade and ask them to send planes to conduct reconnaissance in the direction of Chengde."

At this point, Chu Feng paused slightly and said, "Send a telegram to our anti-Japanese advance team active in the Yanshan Mountains and tell them to prepare for battle."

"If the Japanese retreat in this direction, treat them well and give them a good opportunity to make a fortune and replenish their weapons and equipment."

After hearing Chu Feng's words, the combat staff officer turned around and gave orders without any further ado.

"Commander, do you mean that we shouldn't stop it?" A senior staff officer couldn't help but ask.

"Prevent!"

Chu Feng smiled upon hearing this and said, "However, our current mission is to capture Zhangjiakou, and then quickly send troops north to block the retreat routes of the Japanese and puppet troops in Chahar and Suiyuan."

"Compared to the remnants of these two Kwantung Army divisions, we only need to send a few troops, with the cooperation of the 1st Air Brigade, to drive them away and pursue them."

"It's enough to consume and destroy a part of the troops!" Chu Feng showed a hint of disdain on his face when he said this. "This is because they successfully broke through the siege, but if you want to break through smoothly, it is impossible without paying a price."

"I allowed them to run, but there were many people who didn't allow them to run."

Soon, as Chu Feng issued a series of orders, the troops quickly adjusted themselves.

In addition to increasing the defensive forces in the east, the commander of the Third Brigade, Li Hougu, was ordered to dispatch a regiment from the Third Brigade, plus the 4500 troops behind enemy lines, to set up an ambush on the Japanese army's retreat route and obstruct them.

They were responsible for peeling off the skin and pulling out the tendons layer by layer. The battle would last until dark, and the rest would be left to the anti-Japanese advance team.

"correct!"

Chu Feng thought of something and said, "Let the 1st Air Brigade contact the Anti-Japanese Advance Team and airdrop some weapons and equipment to them, such as rocket launchers, walkie-talkies, 60mm mortars, submachine guns, and bullets."

"Increase their firepower density and combat effectiveness. Do the Japanese think that everything will be fine if they just hide in the Yanshan Mountains?"

"I told them to sleep with their eyes open. After they go back home, they will wake up from their dreams if they hear the slightest noise in the middle of the night."

Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji didn't know that Chu Feng had already seen through his plan, and he didn't know that he had prepared many surprises for him on the way.

quickly!

When the time came, the Japanese soldiers in the county town were ready for battle. With the order from Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, the Japanese and puppet troops in the county town poured out from various city gates and launched an attack on the Independent 1st Division outside the city.

The Independent 1st Division, which had been well prepared, immediately launched a counterattack, and the originally peaceful county town was drowned out by the sound of gunfire.

On the other side, two Japanese lieutenant general division commanders concentrated their main forces and all artillery and launched a charge against the troops in the east.

A fierce battle broke out between the two sides. The Japanese launched three charges and lost two to three thousand people before they managed to break through the defense.

Nearly 8,000 Japanese troops rushed out of the gap.

There were still more than 3,000 people behind, but they were blocked again by the counterattack of the 1st Independent Division and the powerful firepower of the 1st Air Brigade.

They also took advantage of this opportunity to launch an attack, captured the East City Gate in one fell swoop, and broke into the county town.

“Huff! Huff!!!”

After breaking through, the eight thousand Japanese soldiers protected two lieutenant generals and several major generals and quickly fled to the east.

They didn't dare to stay because there was a regiment of troops chasing them from behind and planes were harassing them from the sky.

Finally, the moment came when the troops entered the mountains.

Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji's tense heart suddenly relaxed. He breathed heavily, his face full of an expression of surviving a disaster.

"Huff, huff, huff!!!"

“Finally broke through!!!”

"idiot!!!"

Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji had never been so embarrassed in his military career.

When he saw that the more than 20,000 troops he brought were only an infantry regiment, he couldn't help but feel sad.

The Japanese lieutenant general division commander standing by also had a painful expression on his face. They suffered heavy losses in this battle.

In order to break out, nearly two-thirds of the original 20,000 to 30,000 troops were left behind.

The two men did not dare to stay any longer as the pursuers were still behind them, so they immediately led their troops to continue retreating.

However, more than ten minutes later, just when they felt safe, sudden explosions and machine gun fire came from the front.

The sudden firepower attack made Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji's expression freeze, and he blurted out: "Baka? How come there are still Chinese troops!!!"