People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

The Yimeng region is located in the heart of the grasslands.

It was late winter and early spring, and the grassland was completely barren.

Under such climatic conditions, they traveled more than 2,000 kilometers to the Northwest, and it was a forced march to save time.

This was also a difficult challenge for the Japanese army.

Previously, Song Mingxuan reported to Jinling that he had discovered that the Japanese army was about a regiment in size.

This is both right and wrong.

In reality, the force heading to the Northwest was a mixed brigade of the Japanese army.

Four infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, and one field artillery battalion were urgently dispatched.

The total strength was more than that of an infantry regiment, exceeding five thousand men, with one more infantry battalion.

The ammunition carried is only one basic quantity.

More transport capacity was used to ensure the supply of provisions and supplies consumed along the route.

In addition to various supplies and spare fuel, the soldiers' physical strength also had to be taken into account, with them taking turns boarding the vehicles to recover.

So a total of more than 600 trucks were used.

However, nearly a quarter of them were used to transport oil.

It takes about 28 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, and a truck consumes about half a ton of fuel along the way.

The maximum load of a truck is only 2.8 tons.

As for resupplying along the way, that's something we've considered.

Before setting off, they urgently mobilized undercover personnel in various places along the route to collect supplies.

They also mobilized their 'old friend,' Prince De, to lobby and persuade in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.

But this is different from transporting military equipment to the Northwest.

At the time, it was disguised as ordinary goods to deceive people.

Even if it is exposed, there won't be any major problems.

Not only will there be no obstruction from Chahar and Suiyuan along the way, but Nanjing will also turn a blind eye.

Therefore, supplies were mainly replenished along the way.

However, this time, although the Japanese mobilized a lot of manpower, they still dared not entrust the supply problem, which was crucial to their success or failure, to be solved along the way.

The reason for mobilizing undercover personnel to collect supplies was primarily for unforeseen circumstances.

The most important thing is to bring your own.

It's just that the plan can't keep up with the changes.

It was a cold winter, and another period of forced marches.

The speed at which various supplies were consumed ultimately exceeded expectations before departure.

This forced the Japanese army to slow down its advance.

This would both better ensure the soldiers' physical strength and allow time for the front lines to prepare supplies.

Therefore, when Sun Zhongneng led his temporary cavalry, racing day and night, and arrived in the Yimeng area in five days, the Japanese army was still at least two days away.

This information was provided not only by the reconnaissance team sent out by Yang Chenghu.

The intelligence station of the Special Service in Suiyuan also sent messages to Nanjing.

It then passed to Sun Zhongneng.

This pleased Sun Zhongneng greatly.

It should be noted that his initial estimate was that the time difference would be at most one day.

Now that we suddenly have an extra day, we can prepare much more easily.

Terrain reconnaissance, selection of ambush sites, and planning of retreat routes.

All preparations were proceeding smoothly and systematically...

That very night, the Japanese army, which was camped in the wilderness, received another telegram from Fengtian.

After reading it, the brigade commander, Suzuki Matsuji, frowned deeply.

It was a telegram urging them to speed up their march.

The Kwantung Army headquarters stated in a telegram that the Sichuan Army had completed its rest and reorganization and assembled.

It is steadily advancing towards Jinzhou.

Kimura, who was in charge of liaison in Jinzhou, also made several phone calls to Fengtian, saying that the morale of the Ma Clique army was unstable.

There was an urgent need for the Imperial Army to enter the Northwest to help Ma Yuanqing stabilize morale, and so on.

"idiot."

After carefully reading the telegram twice, Suzuki, his mind a mess, grimaced and cursed.

He asked someone to bring him a map, and after observing it for a while with a flashlight, Suzuki rubbed his hands together with a worried expression.

The lieutenant colonel chief of staff standing to the side looked at him without speaking and said, "Sir, if we march quickly, we should be able to enter the Northwest in six more days."

"The soldiers can save some food; it's not a big problem."

Hearing this, Suzuki turned to look at him: "Yamagata-kun, you're talking about the most optimistic outcome."

"But we are deep in enemy territory alone, so we have to consider the issues more comprehensively."

"You should know that if we go to the Northwest, we are very likely to face combat."

"Even more so, the closer we get to the northwest, the greater the likelihood that the Chinese army will launch an attack on us."

As he spoke, Suzuki sighed, "In such cold weather, forcing soldiers to conserve their rations will inevitably lead to a large number of non-combat casualties."

"And this will become a new burden."

"We are in a situation of isolation and helplessness. If we really fight against the Chinese army, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Even worse, if we are defeated, all that awaits us is the annihilation of our entire army."

As he spoke, his gaze returned to the map in front of him: "The distance is too far. Domestic politicians only consider political interests and completely ignore military factors."

He was secretly annoyed by his superior's foolish decision when the staff officer who had been holding a flashlight suddenly spoke up: "General, the Imperial Army is invincible."

"You should have complete confidence in our soldiers!"

Suzuki: "..."

There's no way to refute such politically correct statements.

Just like when he accepted this appointment, despite his great reluctance, he still gladly accepted it.

So, despite his anger, when he looked at the captain and operations staff beside him, his expression softened: "Tsuji Masashi, of course I have full confidence in the soldiers of the Empire."

"However, every soldier is precious."

"As the supreme commander of this army, I have an obligation to ensure his life and health."

Having said that, he didn't wait for Tsuji Masanobu to speak again and directly changed the subject: "Alright, now let's think carefully about how to carry out the orders from headquarters."

Yamagata nodded, then looked at Tsuji Masanobu and asked, "Captain Tsuji, what are your thoughts?"

He disliked this captain who had made a name for himself in the military with his astonishing remarks.

This guy doesn't seem like a soldier; he's more like a vulgar politician who just shouts slogans.

God knows how he became my subordinate!

Hearing Yamagata's words, Tsuji Masanobu remained composed and said with a straight face, "The biggest problem troubling us right now is the lack of supplies."

"However, judging from the map, we are now only a day's journey away from the Islamic League."

"If it's a cavalry brigade, they can arrive in half a day."

Listen to this.

Not to mention Yamagata, even Suzuki's expression changed: "Tsuji Masaru, it is an order from headquarters not to provoke along the way or to take the initiative to attack cities and cause unnecessary trouble."

"This is also a requirement of the military."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamagata pointed out even more clearly: "Captain Tsuji, if your idea is to occupy the I-Mongol to replenish your supplies, then please go and ask headquarters for instructions yourself!"