Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

At the same time, a major event happened in the north during this month.

Abe Nobuhide, the supreme commander of the Japanese "Mongolian Garrison Army" and commander of the 2nd Mixed Brigade stationed in Zhangjiakou, led more than 15000 people and dispatched hundreds of trucks to "mop up" the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.

This time, the Mengjiang garrison troops once again mobilized heavy troops to besiege the Beiyue area of ​​the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.

The Japanese army mobilized a large number of troops, including not only infantry and cavalry, but also artillery and armored vehicle units.

At the same time, they were equipped with heavy machine guns, mountain artillery and aviation support, attempting to wipe out the Eighth Route Army troops in the Beiyue area in one fell swoop.

However, the Eighth Route Army in the Beiyue area had already been on high alert. Commander Xu of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and others commanded the troops to adopt flexible and maneuverable tactics, making full use of the mountainous terrain of the base area to set up ambushes and block the enemy.

This time the Japanese army learned from previous lessons. The first step of the attack was to divide and encircle. They divided their troops into several groups and attempted to advance from different directions to cut off the communication between the various units of the Eighth Route Army.

Abe Nobuhide personally went to the front line to supervise the troops' attack.

However, the Eighth Route Army had already set up an ambush in the mountains.

Taking advantage of the night and familiar terrain, they constantly harassed the enemy and attacked the Japanese supply lines, making it difficult for the Japanese troops to obtain supplies.

During a surprise attack, a divisional force led by Commander Yang successfully blew up the Japanese arsenal, causing part of the Japanese troops to lose their heavy firepower support.

On the other hand, the Third Division used tunnel warfare and guerrilla tactics to continuously harass the Japanese army, causing chaos in their defense lines.

Faced with the situation of being unable to conquer the city for a long time, Abe Nobuhide became increasingly anxious. He decided to go to the front line to supervise the battle in person, hoping to force the troops to attack by using tough measures.

However, just as he was inspecting the front line, an ambush force from two regiments of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region had quietly ambushed on the high ground.

At the entrance of a valley, Abe Nobuhide's command headquarters was discovered by the Eighth Route Army and immediately came under fierce attack.

The Eighth Route Army sniper accurately locked onto Abe Nobuhide from a hidden point hundreds of meters away.

As soon as he walked out of the command tent, a bullet hit his chest accurately.

Abe Nobuhide fell to the ground on the spot. His entourage and guards hurriedly helped him up, but his injuries were too severe and he died a moment later.

The Japanese army lost its commander and fell into chaos. The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops took advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack. The troops attacked one after another, disrupting the Japanese army's offensive deployment.

In the end, the Japanese army was forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties, and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area once again achieved a major victory.

Japanese Lieutenant General Abe Nobuhide, the "flower of famous generals", was killed.

All newspapers in Japan reported on this battle, saying that "the flower of the famous general withered in Taihang Mountains."

This time, it was undoubtedly another blow to the Japanese army in North China.

Taiyuan, inside the First Army Headquarters.

At this moment, the lights are dim and the air is filled with smoke.

The military flag on the wall swayed slightly, reflecting the chessboard in the center of the room. The black and white chess pieces were crisscrossed, and the situation was tense.

Yoshio Shinozuka frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the chessboard.

His opponent, Yamamoto Ikki, had a stern expression on his face. He held a black piece in his hand, paused slightly in the air, and then gently dropped it with a crisp sound.

"Commander, the situation is like a chess game. The key lies in the first move."

Yamamoto Ikki smiled slightly, reached out to pick up the teacup and took a sip.

Yoshio Shinozuka did not respond immediately, but slowly stretched out his hand and placed a piece, and the wrinkles on his face relaxed a little.

"You mean, we can still seize the initiative on the battlefield?"

"exactly."

Yamamoto Ikki put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, his eyes bright and sharp.

"Currently, the locust army has suffered a huge setback in North China, especially in southeastern Shanxi and western Hebei.

Whether it was the outstanding performance of the 389th Division of the Eighth Route Army or the annihilation of four divisions in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain,

Even General Abe Nobuhide was killed on the battlefield.

All of this shows that traditional combat methods are gradually becoming ineffective on the Chinese battlefield."

"Hmph." Yoshio Shinozuka snorted coldly, his face looking a little unhappy.

He really didn't want to recall these failures, especially the death of Abe Nobuhide, which still makes him angry.

"Commander, we need to change our strategy."

Yamamoto Ikki said sincerely,

"At present, the main problem in the North China battlefield is that although we have a military advantage, we are unable to effectively control the vast rural areas.

Guerrillas emerge in large numbers. They are familiar with the terrain and have flexible tactics, making it difficult to eliminate them in frontal combat.

Our 'security war' strategy must change.

Using special operations, intelligence warfare, psychological warfare, and economic warfare, we will fundamentally destroy the survival basis of the Chinese army."

Yoshio Shinozuka tapped the chessboard lightly with his fingers and thought for a moment.

"Are you saying that we should strengthen special operations and coordinate with public security warfare strategies?"

"That's right." Yamamoto Ikki nodded.

"At present, the Chinese army's supply lines and base network have not been completely destroyed. Especially in the complex mountainous terrain, they are able to rely on the masses to hide and move.

If we rely solely on large-scale raids, the cost will be too high and the results will not be ideal.

On the contrary, if we can infiltrate their inner circle and dismantle their organizational system, we can truly control the situation in North China."

Shinozuka Yoshio's eyes flashed. "Go on."

“First, we need to form a dedicated special operations force with elite soldiers dedicated to night raids, assassinations, sabotage, and intelligence gathering.

This force can directly target the Eighth Route Army's command system, especially their senior commanders."

Yamamoto Ikki stretched out a finger and spoke slowly.

“Second, we must increase the training and utilization of puppet troops.

The current puppet army has low combat effectiveness and its loyalty is worrying.

But if we can plant enough spies within the puppet army.

And by controlling them through economic means and psychological tactics, they can become our eyes and ears."

"Third, we need to completely destroy the survival basis of the Chinese army economically.

Currently, the Eighth Route Army relies on the support of the people in many areas. If we can control supplies, create a food crisis, encourage black market transactions, and cut off their supply sources through strict blockades, they will find it difficult to continue."

Yoshio Shinozuka nodded slowly, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Your thinking is very clear." He paused, then continued, "If this is the case, we must maintain close contact with General Tada Shun and combine public security warfare and special operations to form a complete combat system."

Yamamoto Ikki smiled proudly.

"That's right, Commander.

This is not just a tactical adjustment, but also a strategic shift.

Only by completely changing the way we think about the North China battlefield can we ultimately achieve victory."

Yoshio Shinozuka pondered for a moment, and finally made a move, and the chess game suddenly became clear.

"Okay, let's follow your plan."

He said slowly, with a cold glint in his eyes.

The lights in the room were still dim, but the black and white pieces on the chessboard presented a completely different situation.

The night in Taiyuan is still cold, and outside the battlefield, a storm is brewing.