Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

Compared with the 6th Division and the 14th Division, whose defense zones only contained some guerrillas and a small number of resistance forces, the 20th Division's defense zone was near Zhongtiao Mountain, where a large number of Kuomintang troops were stationed. If they took advantage of the opportunity, it might have some impact on the battle situation.

Hearing this, Shinozuka Kazuo couldn't help but laugh: "Don't worry, this time I've already told the rest of the Chinese troops that our First Army's goal is to wipe out the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi. They won't take any action, but will just watch us crush the Eighth Route Army bit by bit."

"Hayi!"

After hearing what Shinozuka Kazuo said, Nanata Ichiro agreed without saying anything else. If there were any changes in the National Army and they broke out of Zhongtiao Mountain, the responsibility would not be on him, but there would be problems with Shinozuka Kazuo's strategic decision.

"Your mission is to block the Tongpu Railway and prevent the Eighth Route Army from fleeing westward across it. Once the encirclement is complete, immediately head east into the Taihang Mountains and eliminate all Eighth Route Army troops within!"

"Hayi!"

After saying that, Shinozuka Kazuo turned his gaze to the other mixed brigade commanders. The First Army was very large. In addition to these three divisions, there were also the Third, Fourth, and Ninth Mixed Brigades. This time, Shinozuka Kazuo could be said to have put all his assets into it.

Most of the tasks of the remaining mixed brigades are to be responsible for clearing and blockade tasks. The content of their tasks is that after the main division occupies an area, they are responsible for sweeping and eliminating the remaining armed forces. At the same time, they occupy some important places to prevent the Eighth Route Army troops from escaping. At the same time, they can also serve as a reserve force to support at critical moments.

In addition to these troops, there are also a large number of puppet troops, but the commanders of these puppet troops are not qualified to sit here for the meeting.

"Gentlemen, since the Battle of Cangyun Ridge, the First Army has suffered several consecutive defeats. Although the losses were minimal, the annihilation of the North China Observation Group by the Eighth Route Army has become a disgrace to the First Army. This time, we must use the blood of the Eighth Route Army to wash away the shame of the First Army and the lives of the Chinese people to defend the glory of the First Army! Long live His Majesty Tianhuang, and may the First Army win forever!"

After hearing what Shinozuka Kazuo said, all the officers immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Long live His Majesty Tianhuang! Victory to the First Army!"

"Let's go! All the supplies have been prepared for you. The logistical supplies are enough for you to use for three months. After three months, I don't want to hear any more news about the Eighth Route Army. I want this unit to completely disappear from the battle sequence of China!"

"Hayi!"

A group of generals filed out of the combat headquarters. Only Shinozuka Kazuo and several chiefs of staff from the First Army remained. Chief of Staff Okabe Naosaburo walked up to Shinozuka Kazuo and said, "General, we will attack the Eighth Route Army from the south, north, and west. What if the Eighth Route Army flees eastward?"

Hearing this, Shinozuka Kazuo couldn't help but laugh: "Don't worry, Saburo-kun, I've already contacted the headquarters. If the Eighth Route Army flees north to the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, there will be a surprise waiting for them there!"

Hearing this, Okabe Naosaburo's eyes lit up: "General, are you planning to surround three of us and leave one missing?"

Shinozuka Kazuo nodded and said that in fact, what Shinozuka Kazuo least wanted to see was that the Eighth Route Army gave up resistance and fled directly to the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain. In this way, they would escape from Shanxi Province. Even if they were wiped out, the credit would go to other troops of the North China Expeditionary Force, not the First Army.

However, Shinozuka Kazuo had to make such arrangements. The first reason was that Shinozuka Kazuo could not send troops deep into the Taihang Mountains in advance to block the Eighth Route Army's retreat route to the east. The second reason was the exchange of interests. In fact, the North China Expeditionary Army Command did not approve of Shinozuka Kazuo's combat mission this time.

They also hope that Shinozuka Kazuo can spend this Spring Festival in peace and stability, and return to the base camp directly after the next commander of the First Army arrives without causing any more trouble.

However, this time, Kazuo Shinozuka was willing to take full responsibility and give part of the credit to the rest of the troops, which convinced the North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters.

"I now have only one goal: to completely destroy the Eighth Route Army, no matter what means!"

After saying this, Shinozuka Kazuo clenched his fists tightly. The humiliation brought to him by the Eighth Route Army was too much, and he had to wash it away.

"General, with such a large-scale mobilization, Taiyuan City is severely depleted of troops. There is only one military police battalion and some scattered troops left, which together only amount to a regiment. If the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army attacks, the consequences will be disastrous."

Okabe Naozaburo still expressed his concerns. After the 14th Division set out, Taiyuan City almost became an empty city. Although the total force was one regiment, it still had to support the airport and arsenal outside Taiyuan City, so one regiment was not enough.

"Jinsui Army?"

Shinozuka Kazuo seemed to have heard a joke: "Don't worry, the Chinese army loves internal friction. They will watch their allies being wiped out by us, and at the same time mock the wiped-out allies. The Chinese are a nation that loves internal strife. One of them may be a dragon, but ten of them are just bugs under our feet!"

Chapter 70 The Furious Second War Zone Commander

Second Theater Command.

In an earthen kiln, Yan Laoxi was smoking a cigarette. A group of officers from the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army stood in front of him, waiting for his orders.

At this time, Yan Laoxi looked a little haggard. The former local rich man from Shanxi now looked much more vicissitudes of life, and the beard on his face seemed to have not been taken care of for some time and was a little messy.

After stubbing out his cigarette, Yan Laoxi raised his head and looked at the group of officers standing in front of him and asked, "No news yet?"

A group of people looked at each other and shook their heads.

The reason why so many people gathered here was entirely because of the large-scale mobilization of the Japanese in the past few days.

This time, the Japanese assembled a very large force, including three divisions, three brigades and more than ten divisions of puppet troops, totaling about 200,000 people.

During the Battle of Taiyuan, the Japanese had only assembled 14 troops. Although there were 100,000 puppet troops this time, the more than 100,000 regular Japanese troops still made Yan Laoxi terrified.

"Damn those little Japs! They won't let me live in peace even after I've retreated here!"

Yan Laoxi instinctively felt that the Japanese were coming for him. Now in the entire Shanxi Province, only the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army still controlled some county towns, although they were all in remote areas.

Yan Laoxi could not imagine who the Japanese were mobilizing such a large number of troops to deal with besides himself. The daily supply consumption of these troops was astronomical.

"Could it be Zhongtiao Mountain?"

A staff officer beside him thought for a while and then spoke slowly.

"Impossible! The 20th Division responsible for the Zhongtiao Mountain area has already been transferred away by the Japanese. If the Japanese really want to attack Zhongtiao Mountain, they will definitely send more troops, not withdraw them!"

Everyone looked at the map. They had learned about the news of the Japanese 20th Division heading north two days ago, and it even passed through the defense zone of some Shanxi-Suiyuan Army troops. However, Yan Laoxi ordered not to fire any shots, so there was no ambush.

"Could it be the Eighth Route Army?"

Another staff officer spoke tentatively, but as soon as this sentence came out, a group of people immediately laughed.

"Thank you, Chief of Staff! With so few men and so few guns in the Eighth Route Army, why would the Japanese go to such great lengths? Could the Eighth Route Army hold off even a single brigade, let alone three divisions?"

"Hahaha, it's those Tubalu (traitors) who are going to have trouble surviving the winter this year!"

Yan Laoxi waved his hand and said, "Stop laughing! You're all mocking the Eighth Route Army. Your equipment is better than theirs, but how many devils have you killed? How many cities have you lost?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army immediately lowered their heads.

Yan Laoxi thought for a moment and said, "But it's really possible that it's the Eighth Route Army. Although the Eighth Route Army has fewer troops, they are as cunning as loaches. The Japanese have used a lot of troops to encircle and suppress them before, but they always escaped!"

"This time, the New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army killed a Japanese major general and captured another. Perhaps the Japanese, for the sake of face..."

Before Yan Laoxi finished speaking, a staff officer hurried to the door and said, "Report, urgent telegram from Shancheng!"

"Mountain city?"

Yan Laoxi immediately stood up, shook off the coat he was wearing, took the telegram handed to him by the staff officer and read it carefully.

Then he couldn't help laughing: "Look at this!"

After saying this, he handed the telegram to all the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army officers present.

"Suck, could the information be false?"

Some people raised doubts after seeing the content of the telegram.

The content of this telegram from Shancheng was not much. It only informed Yan Laoxi that the intelligence personnel lurking in Taiyuan had obtained the specific plan of the Japanese Spring Festival offensive. The Japanese target was the Eighth Route Army, and told the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army not to worry too much.

"I think it's possible. After all, we've seen the situation and capabilities over in our mountain city. We've never received information so promptly. In the past, we only received information after the Japanese took action. Now, they've received information right after the Japanese formulated their plan. This must be a smokescreen released by the Japanese, a feint. They say they're targeting the Eighth Route Army, but they're actually targeting us!"

As soon as this statement was made, it was immediately agreed by many people. Many people felt that this was a feint and that the real target was them. After all, they looked down upon the Eighth Route Army's strength, let alone the Japanese?

Yan Laoxi waved his hand and said, "No matter who the Japs' target is, notify all troops to increase their vigilance and not give the Japs an opportunity to take advantage!"

At this time, Staff Officer Xie suddenly said, "Sir, if the Japanese really attack the Eighth Route Army, can we?"

As he spoke, Staff Officer Xie walked to the front of the map and pointed in the direction of Taiyuan. "Part of the Japanese Sixth and Fourteenth Divisions were previously stationed in Taiyuan, and part was stationed near Taiyuan. Now they have all been transferred. The total number of Japanese troops in Taiyuan City is no more than one regiment!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes lit up.

If the Japanese really attack the Eighth Route Army as the telegram said, Taiyuan City will definitely be empty. At that time, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army can take advantage of the opportunity to invade and recapture Taiyuan!

After hearing this, Yan Laoxi looked at the map, thought for a moment, lit a cigarette, and finally shook his head and said, "Even if we recapture Taiyuan, can we hold it?"

As soon as this sentence was uttered, everyone stopped talking. When the Japanese invaded Shanxi, the Jinsui Army was still very strong and had never been defeated, not to mention that it had lost half of its combat effectiveness.

"Sir, even if we don't recapture Taiyuan, we can still recapture some small counties, such as Weixian here. As long as we take Weixian, we can control the important supply route of the Wei River..."

Yan Laoxi finally shook his head and said, "Let's put this matter aside for now. Let's first see the real purpose of the Japanese. If the Japanese target us, let alone recapture these cities, we will be lucky if we can just hold on to the existing cities."

Staff Officer Xie looked at Yan Laoxi, then at the other officers, sighed silently, and finally said, "Sir, if the devils' target is the Eighth Route Army, should we rescue them or not?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Yan Laoxi, because Yan Laoxi had personally ordered that without the command center's order, they could not cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in combat. If they wanted to cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in combat, they needed a handwritten order from the Second War Zone Command.

After hearing this, Yan Laoxi said irritably, "I'll ask Mr. Jiang for instructions when the time comes!"

This statement was equivalent to tacitly agreeing not to rescue the troops. After all, everyone knew very well what Mr. Jiang's attitude towards the Eighth Route Army was.

After hearing this, Staff Officer Xie sighed silently in his heart: "Then we can't just watch the devils annihilate our friendly forces. They are all anti-Japanese forces. If they are wiped out by the devils, it will weaken our own strength!"

Chapter 71 A serious problem

Staff Officer Xie's voice was not loud, but in this small room, everyone could hear it clearly. Many people standing next to Staff Officer Xie tacitly took a step back and kept a certain distance from him.

This statement is too outrageous.

Staff Officer Xie also realized that he had spoken his mind. He raised his head and looked at Commander Yan. He saw Commander Yan staring at him fiercely, then gritted his teeth and said, "Get out!"

Staff Officer Xie looked at Commander Yan, then stood at attention and said, "Yes!"

When Staff Officer Xie left the room, he heard a furious voice coming from inside: "This is rebellion, this is outrageous! When will it be the turn of a staff officer to teach me how to do things? I'll fire him and send him to the front line as a private. If he wants to fight the Japanese, let him do it alone. If he wants to sympathize with the Eighth Route Army, let him go alone to support the Eighth Route Army!"

After leaving the command center, Staff Officer Xie silently took off his military uniform, packed up his things, and soon received the transfer order, but there was no change in his expression.

He picked up his package, rode a horse and left the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's headquarters, heading towards the front line.

at the same time.

In Zhongtiao Mountain.

At this time, Wang Zhiqi, commander of the 165th Division of the National Army, was sitting at the card table playing cards with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Report, military order!"

Wang Zhiqi waved his hand to signal for the telegram to be taken over. After just one glance, he threw it away. "What the hell? Be alert! Haven't the Japs withdrawn?"

The staff officer beside him immediately said, "The commander is probably just afraid that the Japs might just make a feint!"

"Humph, even if the Japs come, so what? We have over 200,000 people and we're still afraid of them. Let's play cards!"

At this time, the director of the logistics department walked up to Commander Wang and whispered a few words in his ear.

After hearing this, Commander Wang's eyes lit up: "Is this true?"

"Really? It's real money, not legal tender or anything like that!"

Commander Wang pushed the bad cards in his hand away vigorously and waved his hand, saying, "No more, no more!"

After saying that, he stood up and walked outside.

"The Eighth Route Army has become rich, right? So rich? Buying so much equipment?"

Then the 165th Division's logistics director whispered in Commander Wang's ear, "We've received a telegram from Shancheng saying the Japanese are moving the th Division to launch a Spring Festival sweep, targeting the Eighth Route Army. I'm guessing the Eighth Route Army got the news, which is why they're buying so much weaponry."

After hearing this, Division Commander Wang's eyes immediately lit up: "This is good news! I guess the Eighth Route Army is like ants on a hot pot, running around in circles. If we raise the price, they will probably bite their teeth and buy it. Let's go and take a look!"

"Master, you are wise!"