Canteen System Assistance Notes

Yes! They just cultivate a little land and don't starve to death. "Scholar" pointed to the rangefinder and directionfinder, and made a phone call gesture, "But even if the Japanese come out, we are not afraid, we are here! The phone here is directly connected to the military sub-district stationed in Shenwu..."

"As soon as the enemy made a move, you called the police, right?" Political Commissar Lei Zhende suddenly realized. "Thank you for your hard work, young comrade. It's not easy to hold down a post like this."

"Oh! No, no, no, I'm not calling the police... Don't the Japanese have a few field guns in their big stronghold here? As soon as our troops approached the county town, the Japanese would bombard us with artillery.

"The scholar" shook his head and said, "The military sub-district held a Zhuge Liang meeting and felt that

This method is not bad, so I learned it."

"As soon as the Japs leave the city, we'll bomb them!"

Chapter 424 "The Last Autumn"

"Starting from Hutuo River, take a happy journey,

Marching, reading, and crossing the blockade.

From tomorrow on, think about the nation and the future—

We have a team that is watching the sun rise and the mountains set..."

Accompanied by the recitation of student cadres in the team, the troops crossed the Tongpu Railway and entered the Qingliangfeng base.

This was the seat of the anti-Japanese democratic regime of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region and the area controlled by the Beiyue Military Sub-district, a solid base for our army. Marching here was a real pleasure, even for someone like Wang Tiechui, who had been "pampered by the Party organization," who found it a bit "unbearable."

As soon as they left the camp, the local military station organization organized the masses to bring porridge, rice and side dishes; at noon, cooked salty tea would appear on the roadside; when they set up camp at night, burning firewood would be piled up in the designated area, and maybe even hot water would be available - the cooks in the company welcomed a happy time with a lot of cursing. The happiness was that they had a lot more ease recently, but the cursing was that they felt like they were unemployed and had become a burden to the team.

As the company commander of the reconnaissance company, Wang Tiechui often arrived at the camp early. Under his watch, the mobilized representatives would often engage in arguments with the village committee cadres, such as who wanted an extra worker and a clothing bag as wages, using the towels, undershirts, pants, and socks inside as a dowry or betrothal gift—all kinds of northern goods were always very popular here, to the extent that they even became hard currency.

The conditions for marching on the inner line were excellent, but Wang Tiechui and his men did not stay here for too long: compared with the First Army and the Mongolian Army on both sides of the Tongpu Line, the Japanese troops around the Pinghan Railway were more active and more dangerous.

According to the plan, the troops were to quickly cross the base area, reach the Pingshan area at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, and then cross the Pinghan Line to reach the destination of this long journey, the Hebei base area. The 110th Division, the only four-unit division in North China, stood in their way and was extremely powerful—if they didn't have to defend the 2-kilometer defense zone from Xuecheng to Xingzhou and hadn't suffered long-term bloodshed.

Although the Japanese blockade had recently tightened, it was like a 10% price increase for a Snow Lotus Popsicle, which wouldn't even be worth a fraction of the price of an Ice Cream Assassin. This tighter blockade hadn't had the impact of triggering a significant shift in strategy. The team, having arrived in Pingshan, quickly established contact with the renowned "Pingshan Regiment" (718th Regiment, 359th Brigade), and communicated with the Jizhong Military Sub-district across the railway line, beginning to execute the crossing operation according to the pre-planned plan.

They were very skilled at their job and had obviously performed it many times.

First of all, this is not Shanxi Province, which can be easily reached by our military aircraft. Wang Tiechui and his men cannot blatantly travel on the highway during the day. They can only travel on the highway at night and walk in the countryside during the day.

Secondly, a large number of Japanese troops had recently arrived near Shimen, creating tight defenses. Therefore, using the puppet army to pass through Zhengding was unlikely to work. The troops would have to take advantage of the gaps between Japanese railway patrols. Fortunately, by developing Red organizations among railway workers, the Beiyue and Jizhong districts were able to obtain a rough estimate of Japanese train schedules. By calculating travel speeds, they could roughly determine the movements of Japanese trains at specific locations.

Finally, they meticulously provided three days of training to the Cha Company, the 7th Hebei Regiment, and the cadre unit. In Pingshan County, they constructed a simulated railway bed with earthen slopes and sent members from a fraternal unit to pose as Japanese patrols, allowing Wang Tiechui and his team to conduct a field exercise. The two reconnaissance companies were to spread out in a north-south direction, while the field regiment was to split into two groups, securing the slower-moving power-assisted trucks and cadre teams in the middle. To ensure the trucks could successfully reach the landbed, the drivers had to shift into "turtle gear" and unload some of the cargo.

Finally, the entire marching team was required to implement a blackout, using only fluorescent sticks in the dark, and marched continuously for 30 miles to reach the outermost contact point of the Jizhong Military Sub-district.

The plan is feasible, and the action begins.

To be honest, when the external environment has not changed fundamentally, and a plan has been iterated many times and almost all possible situations have been envisioned, then the process of executing the plan and achieving results may be as smooth as chopping a watermelon with a knife.

Under a waning half-moon, Wang Tiechui and his guide stepped onto the tracks of the Pinghan Line. Around him, the three platoons of the reconnaissance company spread out like a curtain, covering a vast area. Behind them, well-fed packhorses pulled a rumbling, powered cart, and began to cross the tracks, passing through the danger zone.

The barbed wire had already been... I was overthinking it, there was no barbed wire here. Wang Tiechui laughed at himself, gazing at the tiny lights in the distance to the south—that was the railway bridge over the Haituo River. According to the guide, it was the closest stronghold of the Japanese army, a bunker and auxiliary positions standing on the bridgehead, made of brick, stone and concrete.

I remember when the February Incident occurred in the Border Region, we had this kind of fortification in the southern part of the Border Region, but the steel bars inside were as thick as a finger... "Over there! That's the base of the Japanese 110th Division! It's just across the Lituo River!"

Seeing Wang Tiechui holding binoculars, the local guide who had replaced the comrade from Northwest Shanxi came over and took a look. "That bunker is one of the few remaining ones north of the Lituo River." Compared to the Northwest Shanxi guide's confidence and composure, this young guide displayed a hint of precocious maturity. He looked even younger than Wang Tiechui, yet he knew the surroundings like the back of his hand. "Shouldn't we just uproot it? Or save it for the New Year?"

"Comrade Tiechui, you don't understand this," the guide thought for a moment and replied, "There are more old Japanese soldiers in the 110th Division here. They used to be starving and couldn't come out to cause trouble until the wheat harvest. But recently, for some reason, a lot of food has been brought in from Henan Province in the south!"

"A few years ago, they went to attack our Lingshou and Pingshan and started from here. At that time, the Japanese soldiers had tanks to protect them, but they were so arrogant and domineering.

Later, we destroyed several tanks and killed many ghosts.

The soldiers dared not move. But the Japanese have been well fed these past few months and have become more aggressive. Not only are they carrying out patrols, they've also brought out tanks. Several troops in the Jizhong and Beiyue districts haven't been able to get away with it, and I heard they were even chased away by the Japanese!"

He was a little distressed: "From what I see, at the beginning, although the Japanese soldiers were small, they were strong and skilled. Two of them stood back to back, and in a bayonet fight, three or five people couldn't get close to them. Later, the Japanese soldiers were not so good. They were evenly matched with us - thieves. We originally wanted to starve them out for a while, so that we could be thinner and fight them later, so that we could suffer fewer casualties!"

"I don't know where the devils came from, or what disaster they've suffered, to have stolen so much food. I heard the 110th Division recently received over 5,000 new soldiers, along with artillery. This is going to cause a lot of trouble in the future!"

Are there more than 5,000 new people here?

Wang Tiechui didn't have much to say about the enemy's reinforcements. No matter how strong the 110th Division was, once its forces were dispersed, they would become small, easily defeated units. As for the more troublesome tanks, he and the Field Regiment had trained with the tank troops of the Mobile Corps in the Border Region. They understood the tanks' strengths and weaknesses and knew how to deal with them...

When the time comes, I will pass on my experience to my comrades in Ji Zhong District, and then everything will be easy.

"Comrade, you don't have to worry about that. We learned how to deal with those Japanese tanks from Fushe. This time we're going to Jizhong, we're going to teach you how to deal with those iron lumps."

Wang Tiechui consoled him, patting the guide on the shoulder and changing the subject. "How's our wheat this year?"

"Oh, oh! Very good, very good!"

The guide's tone brightened, his voice quickly becoming lively. "We've joined the village cooperative, and this year, according to the surveyor the cooperative hired, we've got wheat growing strong and thick, and the grains are round and plump! The surveyor calculated that if we plant two crops per acre of land, we can produce 800 kilograms of wheat!"

"Eight hundred kilograms! Eight hundred kilograms of wheat, that translates to over six hundred kilograms of flour a year!" He raised his voice a little, then lowered it again, as if afraid of being overheard. "In a few days, we'll be able to harvest! By then, I just hope God will be merciful and not let it rain..."

"That's for sure!" Wang Tiechui laughed. He looked up at the moon in the sky. "Don't disbelieve me, I'm telling you something auspicious. During the wheat harvest, the sky will definitely be sunny and clear, without a drop of rain!"

"Then it's settled, hehehe!"

A smile appeared on the guide's face. Under the bright moon, the two of them were chatting about the weather, wheat and harvest in a vigilant manner, just like two farmers chatting by the field with their farm tools, looking at the golden waves of wheat.

Even though there are strong enemies and crises now, the future is always beautiful and hopeful.

However, there were always ruthless invaders hoping to shatter this precious hope amidst the chaos of war: Ahead of the troops, the bright moon, hanging over the vast land of central Hebei, seemed to be shrouded in a faint haze. Comrade Wang Tiechui was unaware that, just beyond his sight, a not-too-distant south of the Lituo River bridgehead, lurked a vicious and unique enemy force.

Chapter 425 Qiankun - Throw

(Update)

Crossing the Qingliangfeng base on the Taihang Mountains, you can see the Ji Zhong base.

It is densely populated, rich in products, and close to the core of Pingjin, and is one of the important grain producing areas in North China. At the same time, it is located on the Shide Line, Jinpu Road, and Pinghan Line.

The area enclosed by the railway from Beijing to Tianjin is a

The Japanese army in North China took advantage of the temporary interruption of the "Southern Line Road" in a relatively closed area when Commander Itagaki captured Zhongtiao Mountain and the Eighth Route Army supported the Ji'nan Military Region. They recruited labor and built this railway from Shimen to Dezhou.

Thanks to Amaterasu, the construction process was not overly hindered by the Communist army.

Of course, this is not the only reason why Okamura Yasuji chose this place: the flat and open terrain, suitable for the maneuvering of troops, is also a very important reason.

—―----―—

Although this vast plain contains the Baiyangdian and Wen'anwa wetlands, and is bisected east-west by the Daqing River and its tributaries, the Tang River, Zhulong River, and Ziya River, the macro-topography of the North China Plain remains firmly in place. This "geographical advantage" provides a natural advantage for mobile attackers: they can launch an attack in any direction through rapid battlefield movement.

Okamura Neiji based his judgment on this. Now, before him, a massive sand table had been erected. On the railway line surrounding the Hebei-Central base, a cluster of chess pieces representing the Japanese army were arranged in rows. He personally placed each unit in its proper position.

110th Division, Shimen, not fully staffed, can deploy 2-3 regiments.

The 57th Division (formerly the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade), Qingyuan, is nearly full and can be deployed in full. The 12th Army, 32nd Division, Cangxian, is nearly full and can deploy two regiments...

In addition, there is the 50th Division (formerly the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade), which is marked as "reserve", "expanded" and has a high proportion of new recruits, and the 27th Division, which is labeled as "North China Army Reserve", "shortage of personnel" and "exhausted" - these are all the troops that Okamura Yasuji can mobilize in the first phase.

To gather this small number of men, he had to violate conventional military principles and force the 27th Division, which had already fought in the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign and the Henan Province Campaign within the previous 10 months, with only four months of rest and recuperation, and had not even returned to its base, to continue to make a reluctant contribution to the Imperial Empire. Of course, Okamura did not dare to entrust this disheveled, exhausted unit with important tasks, and could only assign them some minor tasks such as defense, blockade, and garrison.

Meanwhile, Okamura Yasuji was forced to use his position as commander to withdraw the last remaining mobile division from the hard-pressed 12th Army. Near the 32nd Division's base in Ziyang, "the Communist army's situation was acceptable," so Okamura persuaded them to send two regiments. Fortunately, their combat effectiveness remained strong, allowing them to be used as the main attack force.

Together with these troops, part of the 110th Division directly under the North China Army, almost all of the 57th Division and the 50th Division, as well as some security forces, Okamura Yasuji finally gathered a force of nearly 5 people, enabling him to launch this offensive against the Hebei-Central base area. After all, this place was relatively close to the city of Sijiu, and the Japanese army had launched more attacks and obtained more information. The North China Front Army roughly knew the size of the Communist army in the base area.

"If we want to completely contain the Communist army, we must now at least have a one-to-one military strength ratio!"

Okamura Neiji sighed, "If only I had more troops. Unfortunately, if I hadn't requested the Kwantung Army's assistance, I wouldn't even be able to mobilize the 27th Division, the reserve force stationed in Tianjin. Are there any troops I can mobilize?" He searched the map, trying to find some hidden troops, but ultimately failed. The only troops that could be mobilized around the battlefield were those stationed in Sijiucheng.

The 64th Division (formerly the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade) was responsible for the direct protection of the headquarters, but

As long as General Okamura Yasuji does not want mortar shells to fall on the head of the North China Army Headquarters, this unit must not move rashly.

There was still one last chess piece in his hand, and as Okamura rubbed it, the chess piece itself became warm.

"Commander, what are your suggestions for the location of the mecha troops?"

The staff officer beside him asked. They had previously offered Okamura several plans, but they were all rejected by the commander, who was personally coordinating the simulation. This left the staff confused and bewildered as to their leader's true intentions. "Sir Okamura must have his own thoughts. Why are you pushing him?" Chief of Staff Moritake Tanabe glared at the staff officer. "Sir, I failed to properly control my men. It's my fault."

"This isn't your fault. Alas! It's me, the commander, who's disqualified!"

Okamura Yasuji sighed deeply, "Tanabe-kun, we've never been so short of manpower before! When I commanded troops in central China, launching offensive operations, I was always outnumbered, one against three, and defeated the enemy with a smaller force. Yet, here we are, facing such a difficult and difficult situation."

Your Excellency, the soldiers of the North China Front are dedicated and dedicated, and together with the mecha unit you personally organized, they are formidable. The combination of the two will surely bring victory, so you need not worry.

"Is it because the mecha unit's strength... that I'm a bit hesitant?" Okamura Neiji thought, nodding. "But why does their immense strength make me so irritated? Perhaps it's because I've poured so much effort into it? Or is there some other reason?"

The events of the past few months were still fresh in his mind, and Okamura Neiji couldn't help but think deeply.

He begged for help from everyone, requisitioned armored vehicles, looked for mobile artillery, dismantled the engineers who could support the troops, and finally had to risk offending the navy and forcibly requisition surplus trucks - although the North China Transportation Corporation and the East Asia Shipping Corporation had many vehicles, Okamura Yasuji did not dare to covet royal assets and zaibatsu assets - in the end, the attempt to add two regiments of mobile infantry to the mecha unit ultimately failed.

He had no choice but to settle for the second best and split up the 4th Cavalry Brigade that he could command, and downgrade those precious cavalry to mobile infantry.

This was indeed a feasible solution. The cavalrymen had excellent combat skills and, even with chronic blood loss, they maintained a strong fighting capacity. However, the original size of the two regiments, which had been assigned approximately 6000 infantrymen, had rapidly decreased to only about 2000 cavalrymen. This reduction was probably unacceptable. Okamura Neiji had no choice but to continue to resort to makeshift measures, squeezing out two more battalions of troops from several independent formations of the North China Army.

This time, he couldn't find any trucks, so he let go completely and used horses, animal-drawn carts, mules and even donkeys that he had forcibly requisitioned. The two teams finally became "mobile".

However, such a half-baked army with thin armor, inferior artillery, inadequate organization, and equipment full of signs of being made-up, and even disjointed in its maneuvers, burst out with quite powerful breakthroughs and combat effectiveness in the simulated exercises deduced on paper.

Alas, it is too expensive to go to the training ground of the Mongolian army for exercises, so we can only be frugal and make do with what we have.

The Vanguard Group, based on the framework of the 4th Cavalry Regiment, was quickly reorganized and easily retrained. Composed of armor and cavalry, they attacked with lightning speed and were agile and swift, often able to flank and attack the flanks of the Kwantung Army units training with them before they could even deploy their formations, or even penetrate their rear. The fully equiped infantry battalions could also carry more weapons and possess exceptional endurance, capable of entangled and destroying enemy units attempting to regroup.

But have I ever imagined what would happen if this army failed?

——————―-

Okamura asked himself, as a prudent commander, it would be wrong not to consider the battle plan. If this unit failed... I am afraid that the situation in North China will quickly turn to collapse.

At this thought, Okamura Neiji's mind settled. Why would he consider something impossible? A frantic expression crossed his face. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Okamura Neiji slammed the last chess piece, which had been warming in his palm, into the correct position.

This unit's label had a small note attached to it, which clearly read "Specially Combined Mecha Unit - Okamura Detachment." The campaign was also planned with the labels "High Mobility," "Strong Breakthrough," and "Decisive Combat Force." "So, they will launch their attack from here!"

"Sulin-kun, please don't let me down!"

Chapter 426: Central Hebei Circulation () The Balance Swings

"Three days ago, the Japanese 32nd Division, assembled in Cangzhou, assembled and boarded trains, beginning their southward movement. A temporary military train was dispatched to Hengshui. The 57th Division of the North China Front Army (8th Independent Mixed Brigade) was leaving its base at Qingyuan."

Throughout North China, puppet troops and security forces were mobilizing. Intelligence indicated that the Japanese had ordered them to reinforce the defenses of the Jinpu Railway, the Pinghan Railway, and the Shide Railway. Guerrillas across the region reported similar responses. "The Japanese in Zhengding have imposed martial law in the surrounding area, and our intelligence officers are temporarily unable to report back."

A battle always begins with an intelligence contest called "temple calculation." The attackers and defenders, leveraging their respective strengths, formulate attack plans, adjust their defensive deployments, and wait for the battle to officially begin. To be frank, this bloodless "temple calculation" can largely determine who will take the initiative in the entire battle.

In North China, our army often holds absolute intelligence initiative, and people all over the country are willing to provide us with first-hand intelligence. The Japanese army is also unable to resist the pervasive four major commercial systems, not to mention the invincible radio decryption with the support of future equipment.

This near-one-way transparency of intelligence should have made it easy for our army to obtain the Japanese deployment plan. However, the Japanese Army had a natural intelligence advantage: their units rarely used radios to communicate with each other, relying almost entirely on messengers and telephone lines. This essentially eliminated the possibility of leaking campaign plans through radio.

Secondly, Okamura's strategic and campaign command skills were indeed among the best in the Japanese Army. Not only did he cross-post several units before the war, he also organized several temporary military trains on the railway, pulling several Japanese troops back and forth to disrupt our army's intelligence analysis and collection.

At the same time, for those very conspicuous and almost impossible to keep secret mecha troops, he also accurately deployed them in Zhengding - this was the previous base of the 110th Division's direct tank team. Starting from here, they can not only attack the Hebei-Central base to the east, but also attack the flanks of the Beiyue District troops coming to support them to the west, and even use the railway to maneuver to the Hebei-South base to launch an attack. There are many tactical options.

These few factors alone allowed Okamura Yasuji to conceal key details of the campaign deployment, despite the fact that his intelligence system was led by the Japanese Communist Party. Our Tongwen Academy's intelligence system only revealed that the Japanese mecha units would be deployed in Zhengding, but further investigation was not possible for the time being.

On May 15, 1941, Okamura Yasuji finally gave the order and launched the operation he had been preparing for at least three months.

Ba County reports that Japanese troops are gathering inside Gu'an and Yongqing counties. The troops are dressed in blue, and the officers wear open-collared uniforms. They appear to be the 3st and 101st Groups of the North China Security Army, each with three regiments. They may be attacking the Baiyangdian area from the north of the base area to the south.

At the military command headquarters in the Jizhong base area, Wang Han's staff trainees began compiling intelligence from the counties on the outskirts of the base area. Using a standard sand table operation, they planted black flags representing the puppet army in several counties north of the base area and placed arrow indicators.

"The Japanese army in Cang County is gathering. The direction of their attack is unclear. However, it is speculated that they may be attacking the bridge controlled by our army on the Ziya River, Shaheqiao Town."

"The Japanese troops in Qingyuan split up and headed north, simultaneously advancing towards Anxin and Rongcheng! Based on their numbers, they were part of the Japanese 5th Division and the Second Group of the North China Security Army, with a strength exceeding one battalion and three regiments. The enemy's attack speed was slow, but their formation was tight. The fourth division of Qingyuan even spotted puppet troops advancing in skirmish formations, with the Japanese holding up the rear."

As the staff officers inserted one flag after another into the sand table covered with green floral mud, the enemy situation gradually became clear.

The commander of the Hebei-Central Military Region was Lü Zhengchao, a former regimental commander of the Northeast Army. Since disobeying orders and marching north to actively resist the Japanese, he had officially shed his Northeast Army guise and joined the Communist Party. This accomplished guerrilla warfare commander had been active in Hebei-Central for nearly three years, successfully repelling numerous Japanese invasions. This time, despite the massive scale of the Japanese and puppet forces approaching, he maintained the composure expected of a commander.

"Have the Fifth Military Sub-district in Baiyangdian handle the two groups of puppet troops in the north with caution. These puppet troops are quite capable. Don't treat them with the same attitude you used against the miscellaneous puppet troops before. They have guns and artillery, are fully staffed, and even have Japanese instructors," Lu Zhengchao ordered simply. "They have two main regiments, three independent regiments, and a mortar battalion. Just hold the Japanese back. The Fifth Sub-district has a dense water network, so large numbers of puppet troops can't get through."

"District Four monitors the enemy at Qingyuan and defends them in an organized manner, relying on existing fortifications. Districts Three and One focus on the Japanese forces in Cangxian County—they may not attack the Shahe Bridge, but may cross the Yiyang River and attack Xianxian County..."

The Jizhong base area was not the secure rear area of ​​the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, with its well-developed industrial complex and numerous canteen branches. The troops there numbered approximately 50,000, but these consisted of only four Class A field regiments, three Class B field regiments, ten local independent regiments under eight military sub-districts, and a number of directly affiliated artillery battalions and guerrilla units. Against such a massive siege, manpower could not be wasted.

"This is a test from the devils. None of the old devils have come out. It's the puppet army that's leading the way. We have to hold on."

Commander Lu turned to the communicator on the other side and asked, "Have you received the enemy situation report from the military district headquarters and the front command? What are the enemy movements in other directions?"

"The report from the military district headquarters is consistent with that from the front command. They have determined that the Japanese army will launch an attack along the Shizhengding and Shimen lines. The Japanese army has deployed troops along the Shide railway line, and the southern Hebei area is no longer able to cross the railway." The extensive communication network allows each base to break away from its own limited vision and understand the situation on the battlefield. The communicator flipped through the telegram and quickly replied,

"In the Shandong base area, the Japanese 12th Army launched attacks around their garrisons, but the intensity was not strong. The Japanese army launched several exploratory attacks on the east side of the Beiyue base area.

The Japanese troops were mainly concentrated near the Pingxi base area; there was no movement of Japanese troops in other parts of Shanxi Province.

Towards."

"What about southern Hebei and the Hebei-Shandong border?"

"Reporting from southern Hebei, the Japanese have blocked the Shide Railway and the Pinghan Line, intending to cut off the base's external transportation channels and launch a limited-range attack inward. On the Hebei-Shandong border, the Japanese are mainly advancing eastward along the Jinpu Road, but the attack speed is very slow, and in some areas they can't even cover more than 10 miles a day."