Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

The situation was just as Kuribayashi Tadamichi had expected.

Ever since intelligence from North China was reported to the headquarters, the Japanese high command has paid close attention to the war situation in this area.

Within just a few days, the headquarters decided to withdraw troops from the northern and southern fronts to reinforce North China in order to ensure the stability of this important strategic region.

However, Kuribayashi Tadamichi knew that the Eighth Route Army would never sit idly by and wait for death. Faced with the large-scale reinforcements of the Japanese army, they would definitely seize the opportunity and take the initiative.

He simulated the battle situation countless times on Wutai, and all possible situations emerged in his mind one by one.

The Eighth Route Army in North China, especially the troops in the Beiyue area, have always been tactically sophisticated and maneuverable, and would never wait until the Japanese army launched a full-scale offensive before passively responding.

Kuribayashi Tadamichi believed that the Eighth Route Army would take the initiative to attack before the Japanese army took action in order to weaken the Japanese army's combat effectiveness.

As it turned out, his speculation was correct.

Especially some time ago, the North China Air Force was ambushed by the Eighth Route Army Air Force, suffering heavy losses, and many main fighter planes were destroyed.

This incident caused an uproar in the headquarters. Many officers could not believe that the Eighth Route Army actually had an air force?

And can also ambush their elite air force?

Tadamichi Kuribayashi also deduced this.

He thought the attack was similar to an incident two years ago.

At that time, Zeng Jiwen's troops of the Eighth Route Army relied on an unknown "secret weapon" to launch a surprise attack on the airport and blew up all the planes of the North China Locust Army.

This time, he also speculated that the Eighth Route Army might adopt similar tactics, first mobilizing elite troops around the airport and launching a surprise attack under the cover of night.

However, when he received accurate intelligence, he found that the situation was far beyond his imagination.

The Eighth Route Army actually launched an attack using the Air Force!

This was completely beyond his expectation.

What made him even more uneasy was how large a scale of war the Eighth Route Army would launch this time.

"If I were the commander of the Eighth Route Army, what would I do?"

Tadamichi Kuribayashi was thinking quietly in the war room.

The answer is obvious. The Eighth Route Army will definitely target the key points of the Japanese army.

His 109th Division was at the forefront of the Wutai area. Once it was severely damaged, Taiyuan would pose a huge opportunity for the Eighth Route Army.

Thinking of this, he immediately began to deploy defenses.

He quickly adjusted his troops, deployed a reinforced regiment in Wutai, built an outer defense position, and stationed the main force of the division in the city to respond to emergencies at any time.

At the same time, he also deployed a regiment along the line from Xinzhou to Wutai to ensure that the retreat route was unobstructed, and suggested that Yoshio Shinozuka deploy a division in Xinzhou so that it could reinforce Wutai at any time.

Despite this, the Eighth Route Army's attack came earlier than he expected.

Originally, the headquarters planned to launch the North China offensive in mid-August. However, the attack of the Eighth Route Army disrupted their offensive plan!

What shocked Kuribayashi Tadamichi even more was that the Eighth Route Army's first target of attack was actually directly aimed at his 109th Division!

Last night, exactly midnight.

Outside Wutai City, the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire suddenly roared, and 122mm howitzer shells poured down like raindrops, blowing their frontline positions outside the city upside down.

The moment the artillery fire exploded, Kuribayashi Tadamichi jumped out of bed, quickly dressed, and walked straight to the combat command room.

He was not at all panicked, but secretly thankful that he had taken precautions in advance.

Otherwise, after dawn, his body would probably be included in the Eighth Route Army's battle report.

Standing in the underground bunker of the command center, listening to the deafening artillery fire outside, his brows furrowed slightly.

"The Eighth Route Army in the Beiyue area is actually equipped with Soviet-style artillery..."

Kuribayashi Tadamichi's eyes darkened.

On the battlefields of North China, he had seen the Eighth Route Army use captured Japanese weapons, but this time was different.

Judging from the sound of gunfire outside, the Eighth Route Army’s equipment has become highly northernized!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

What is going on in the North?

They actually gave such strong support to the Eighth Route Army?

Even the battlefields in the south did not receive such large-scale assistance.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, but when he changed his mind, a sneer appeared on his face.

At noon, after carefully studying the battle situation, Kuribayashi Tadamichi suddenly turned to Takaishi and said, "Let our troops begin the attack inside the city."

Gao Shizheng was slightly stunned when he heard this, then smiled and said, "Sir, division commander, what do you mean?"

"The main force of the Eighth Route Army has advanced to the outskirts of our headquarters, and their attention is now entirely focused on the external battlefield."

Kuribayashi Tadamichi's eyes were cold, "They probably didn't expect that we would launch an attack inside the city."

He smiled slightly and said in a relaxed tone: "Let them have a good taste of our hospitality."

Gao Shizheng's smile grew even wider, and he immediately saluted: "Yes! I will give the order immediately!"

After saying that, he turned and walked to the communication desk beside him, picked up the phone, and whispered a series of commands in Japanese.

A few minutes later, the Japanese assault troops in the city quickly assembled and began to infiltrate the Eighth Route Army's positions in the city.

They passed through hidden passages and ambushed in key blocks, waiting for the best time to attack.

Inside the city, a squad of Eighth Route Army soldiers was marching along the main street. There were more than a dozen soldiers in the team. They were holding DP-27 light machine guns and Mosin-Nagant rifles, and were scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

"Sergeant, the city is a little unusually quiet." A soldier whispered, with a hint of uneasiness in his tone.

The squad leader in front frowned and looked around.

Most of the surrounding buildings were ruins destroyed by artillery fire, and the windows were dark, as if something was hidden.

Just as he was about to order caution—

"boom!"

A grenade launcher shell suddenly flew out from behind the ruins beside the street and landed accurately in front of the team. The shock wave of the explosion instantly knocked over three Eighth Route Army soldiers, and blood was spilled all over the ground.

"Enemy attack!"

The squad leader yelled and was about to command the team to find cover when fierce gunfire broke out from the surrounding windows, roofs, and behind the ruins.

"Da da da--!"

The Japanese machine gunner hidden in the house pulled the trigger, and bullets poured out like a rainstorm, hitting the stone walls and the ground, splashing up clouds of dust and gravel.

As soon as an Eighth Route Army soldier stuck his head out, his chest was torn apart by a machine gun and he fell in a pool of blood.

"Bang! Boom!"

Japanese soldiers poured out from the side alleys, firing rifles and pistols alternately, accurately sniping and killing Eighth Route Army soldiers exposed in open areas.

The Japanese assault team in the alley was even more ferocious. They held grenades and threw them suddenly from the corner, throwing the Eighth Route Army's formation into chaos.

Then they rushed out of the bunker, waving their bayonets and rushing towards the Eighth Route Army, intending to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

"Hold on! Find cover quickly!"

The captain roared and picked up the light machine gun to suppress the enemies on the roof.

However, just after he fired a few shots, he saw Japanese soldiers in the distance holding grenade launchers and aiming at them again.

"No! Cover!"

But it was too late.

"boom!"

Another shell fell, and the violent explosion completely threw the entire squad out of formation.

With gravel flying everywhere and dust everywhere, the whole street seemed to have fallen into hellish chaos.