Canteen System Assistance Notes

This first trench is reserved for you to dig!

Then, the artillery fire quickly ceased. Instead, there were shrill whistles and red command flags. Reinforcements, previously hidden in anti-artillery bunkers, rushed in from both ends of the first north-south trench, following the communication trenches between the anti-Japanese trenches. Political Commissar Lei Zhende, leading the reinforcements, clutched a submachine gun, shouted, "Follow me, charge!" and charged at the head of the charge.

His rifle roared and roared, instantly knocking down a stunned Japanese soldier. The other soldiers in the assault team quickly surpassed him, unleashing a torrential rain of bullets at the khaki Japanese uniforms drifting in the smoke. The anti-tank gunner, already assigned a target, quickly raised his cannon and fired armor-piercing rounds at the two immobilized tanks, finally blasting them to sparks and completely destroying them.

The Japanese soldiers in the trenches responded hastily. They tried hard to turn their machine guns around in an attempt to block both ends of the passage. Our commandos took advantage of the curve of the anti-Japanese trench to hide themselves and responded with dense grenades.

At this moment, the Japanese tanks, with obstructed vision and lack of means of communication inside and outside the vehicle, were still unaware that the infantry nearby were being attacked by stormtroopers and urgently needed their support: they were still in forward gear, trying to charge towards the second trench - the leading Type 97 had just broken through the siege of the smoke screen when the two 82 high and low pressure guns that had been waiting for it fired at it in unison, instantly making it furious and exploding on the spot.

Of the seven tanks that had participated in the charge, only four remained.

If this continued, the momentum of the Japanese charge would be completely dissipated in the space between the two trenches. The Japanese would be trapped in this 100-meter space, unable to advance or retreat until they were completely destroyed by our firepower. However, as a trench warfare method that was widely used during World War I, how could the Japanese commander, Tadamichi Kuribayashi, known as a "genius", not know about it?

"Devils, devils! There's another wave!"

Despite a slight disjointed formation, the second wave of Japanese troops still appeared at the edge of the wheat field in time. This time, the Japanese were roughly squadron-sized, and although they had no tanks, only infantry, they took advantage of our smoke screen and advanced in a low-profile manner, as if they were about to charge into the close-quarters fighting in Trench No. 1 and overwhelm our resistance.

Grenade launchers' grenades began to fall near our army's formation in the trench, and the Japanese soldiers trapped in the trench became more confident. Under the leadership of the old sergeant, they relied on two tanks that had not yet climbed out of the anti-Japanese trench as cover and tried their best to resist the approach of our army; while the other two tanks struggled to turn around, lowered their gun barrels and machine guns, and began to suppress them along the trench, intending to eliminate our army's most threatening "turtle fist" group - although one of them was quickly hit by another anti-tank gun and its engine stopped, the anti-tank firepower was damaged and the momentum of the assault was suppressed. It was about to be rushed into the trench by the reinforcements of the Japanese army.

The 60th mortar group in the village gave up evacuating and continued to organize effective fire, hoping to suppress the second wave of Japanese troops. The dense and rapid sound of gunfire rang out again, and the mortar shells flew over the two trenches and landed in the rushing formation of the Japanese, forcing them to scatter and lie down to avoid the shelling.

But the observation balloon suspended in the air actually ordered the 105mm howitzer, which was originally searching for the rear artillery position, to turn its muzzle and aim its fire at the small 60mm mortar position in Wucui Village!

The elite field heavy artillery fired a salvo without any test firing. Under the rapid coverage of 12 artillery pieces, the only 6 remaining mortars on the rear artillery position, along with their commanders, were engulfed in flames.

The battle had already reached a fever pitch. The presence of the balloons was like an artillery command post hanging overhead, which greatly shortened the Japanese army's reaction time. Moreover, the Japanese soldiers trapped in the anti-Japanese trench were still some distance away from the village, which allowed the Japanese howitzer group in the rear to not worry about affecting friendly forces.

Wucui Village was like a small boat swaying in the wind and waves, seemingly about to be completely overwhelmed by the wave-by-wave assaults supported by Japanese artillery fire. But if I died, there were still Cuiling Village, Xiangguan Village, Madian Town, and Liujikou Village behind me! Holding off the Japanese here for two and a half days was enough!

"Special Forces Battalion, everyone..."

Wang Tiechui rushed out of the shelter, only to be kicked back by someone. The man didn't even bother to glare at him, simply interrupting him and blasting his whistle. "30th Regiment, Jizhong! First Company, Second Battalion!" the indomitable Jizhong man shouted, "Everyone, follow me! Countercharge!!!"

The long-awaited charge horn sounded, piercing through the incessant rumbling of artillery fire, penetrating the noisy and chaotic cruel battlefield, smashing the suffocating pressure with one punch, and inspiring the volcanic power in everyone's heart - the 1st Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Regiment, which had suffered heavy losses in the earlier battle, under the leadership of the company commander, jumped out of the No. 2 Anti-Japanese Trench, which had been defended for a long time, and pressed back towards the Japanese front line.

Artillery advantage does not exist in close combat!

Only two Type 97 tanks remained in the area between the two trenches. The last two still-functioning high- and low-pressure guns, taking the bullets that had landed on their mantlets, fired again, completely destroying the tank, which had a damaged engine but was still firing. The other tank, too hastily unable to maneuver its turret, was caught in a dilemma and, lacking infantry cover, was instantly pierced through the skull by a tortoise shell after hitting a few people with its tail machine gun.

This battle-hardened unit paid no attention to the two Type 97 fighters who were already in a state of impenetrable condition, nor did they care about the second wave of Japanese soldiers advancing in front of them. They just ran, fired, and threw grenades at the Japanese soldiers in trench number one.

bang bang bang!

The Japanese soldiers who had been squeezed between the two tanks suffered heavy casualties immediately, and the tactical proficiency of the demolition team, under the cover of light machine guns, sent magnetic anti-tank grenade launchers from top to bottom to the last two tanks hiding in the trenches as shelters: after a short delay, the scorching jets violently blasted into the front of the fighting room, turning all the tank drivers inside into familiar faces.

The soldiers jumped into the trenches, with bayonets already mounted on their rifles. The Japanese army, which had also been bombarded with high-pressure fire and grenades, had formed a local superiority in manpower.

Even with an experienced sergeant leading the team, they can't stop

Such a commanding bayonet attack!

In a split second, some Japanese soldiers were pinned to the ground by bayonets, barely able to vomit blood; others fought back before dying, critically wounding a soldier. But many more used their hands and feet to crawl away from the anti-Japanese trench—the fearless counterattacks and the exploding and flaming tanks straining their nerves, while the intense frontal fire shattered any remaining courage to resist.

The first wave of the Japanese army's charge collapsed!

Political Commissar Lei Zhende, leading the assault team, had already emptied his six submachine gun magazines. He dodged a bloodied Japanese soldier and fired several shots with his pistol, knocking him to the ground. He immediately began coordinating with the First Company of the Second Battalion, which had already rushed to the front line. The "Stormtroopers" and other soldiers immediately turned their guns and opened fire, preparing to meet the approaching second wave of Japanese troops.

However, the Japanese troops seemed to have no intention of advancing further. They used the embankments and small mounds for cover, simply firing continuously to cover the retreat of the fleeing friendly troops. Then, they took turns covering each other and retreated backwards. "These Japanese... ran away?" someone wondered.

Faced with a seemingly crumbling defense line, the Japanese troops retreated?

Seeing the Japanese retreating back into the wheat field, Political Commissar Lei Zhende suddenly realized the problem—they weren't retreating, they were disengaging! The next step in disengaging...

"Retreat! Retreat!" he shouted anxiously. "The Japs are shelling!"

Not long after, dense bombardments once again covered the devastated Wucui Village, while the observation balloon in the sky was still hanging high, like a ghost eye emitting the breath of death.

Chapter 439: Embracing Despair (⑶) Disobeying the Decision

The wind swept across the riverbed between the Hutuo River and the Zhulong River, and the blood-stained wheat waves swayed.

As the sky gradually darkened, the distant artillery fire finally died down, leaving only the occasional blast of gunfire. This wave of the Japanese offensive had finally come to an end, with both sides suffering heavy losses and separated by the artillery fire. In the two and a half days since the start of the attack, this mixed Japanese force had penetrated 8 kilometers into the base area, further than any other Japanese force in recent years. Under siege from all sides by the 110th and 32nd Divisions, as well as puppet troops, the Jizhong Military Region's mobile forces were nearly depleted. The mixed brigade, in particular, with its combined motorized prowess, had repeatedly penetrated multiple lines of defense, capturing two county towns and achieving a long-unprecedented victory for the Japanese in North China.

Next, if we can break through this shaky defense line, we can penetrate deep into the Communist-controlled area and destroy the core area that supports their guerrilla warfare! Maybe..."

It can even directly reverse the deteriorating security situation in North China!

But what they didn't know was that behind the seemingly safe front where all the enemy forces had been defeated, a force was slowly gathering.

-----——-

In Maoshanwei Village, a small natural village that has existed since the Han Dynasty, two pairs of eyes, hidden in the shadows of window frames and bennies, stared intently at the traffic ditch at the village's east entrance. Soon, two men, guns drawn, crouched, ran out of the ditch, their faces flushed in the setting sun, panting heavily.

"Quick, quick! This way!"

Shi Yintang saw someone waving at him, glanced back, and quickly headed for the village house. Upon entering, he saw several people gathered around an overturned wooden barrel. A flashlight illuminated the barrel, and on top lay a map and some small items, serving as symbols of military strength: small pebbles represented the Japanese, and bullets represented our own people—plenty of pebbles, but only one bullet.

This is actually a temporary command center.

"Political Commissar Wang," Captain Shi handed his gun to a soldier beside him and reported quickly, "The situation is basically clear now. It's no different from what we saw from afar." "To make a long story short."

"Hmm." Shi Yintang cleared his throat and gave a brief account. "Fang Zhonghua and I headed eastward toward Chaluo Village. We walked about four miles before we discovered the Japanese sentry position. There weren't many, but there was one visible and two invisible sentries, three in total. Or perhaps there were more we hadn't spotted."

"We bypassed all the sentries, crawled a little way down the ditch, and then lay down and looked inside—that big balloon bubble was indeed in Charo Village."

He recalled the scene. "I counted around the village, and there were at least a hundred and fifty of them: about fifty of them carrying rifles, scattered around on sentry duty, fewer in the west and more in the east. There were also over a hundred and thirty people tending the balloons, officers, rope pullers, and stake hammers, basically all in the village—damn it, they'd pushed down several houses and used the wood inside to hammer in stakes and tie ropes—and a few people were milling around a row of pale green cans. Could it be...?"

Fortunately, it was not the infamous poison gas canister, but the buoyancy gas prepared for the balloon.

Among the participants was a cavalry staff officer who was quite familiar with the Japanese army's organization. He pointed out that because the Japanese were relatively poor, the balloons were filled with light but flammable hydrogen, and could not be filled with safe but expensive helium.

He stroked his stubble and continued asking questions: "Captain Shi, besides the hydrogen tank, did you notice the anti-aircraft machine gun I drew you earlier?" He gestured at the long barrel and tripod mount. "With the canister magazine, it looks like a big Czech machine gun."

"This, I've been looking for it for a long time, but I really can't find it."

"But, Staff Officer Ma, I did see a house at the west end of the village. There's a large thing covered with cloth on the roof. The Japanese have piled sandbags around there. Could that be it?" Fang Zhonghua, another soldier who went with them, took over the conversation. He gestured and thought for a moment, "But it seems to be even larger than the field regiment's anti-aircraft machine guns."

"We can't escape, either. We have to be careful." Staff Officer Ma found a small stone and placed it west of Charo Village. He lowered his voice and said, "Although the Japanese balloon squadron has few armed soldiers, they have two anti-aircraft machine gun teams to defend against air raids. Even if the Type 91 is a slug that uses a straight magazine, it's still more powerful than a regular machine gun when fired flat on its back. Have we taken stock of our current weapons?"

"Okay, Staff Officer Ma." Someone glanced at the words written on the ground and quickly replied, "We have 83 people here, 71 long guns, 9 short ones including box guns; 2 machine guns with about a hundred rounds of ammunition; one turtle fist launcher with one armor-piercing round left; we do have one 60mm cannon, but the tripod is missing, so we only have 4 rounds of ammunition: 2 smoke screen rounds, 2 illumination rounds..."

These things were indeed few. Everyone fell silent. The 83 men in Maoshanwei Village were all soldiers from various units that had been dispersed by the Japanese. They came from local guerrilla groups, disbanded cavalry battalions, militia units that had been dispersed by the Japanese, and even a few lightly wounded soldiers who had been recuperating in the homes of fellow villagers. Naturally, their level of military strength could not be compared to when they were fully organized.

Now, the armament levels of this temporary force are uneven, the training standards they receive are inconsistent, and they have never even had joint training or cooperation before. Among them, there are even several non-combat personnel from the original county party committee working team. It really does not look like a combat-capable force.

"But we still have to attack this devil's balloon camp."

Facing the crowd's gaze, Wang Nairong, the political commissar of the Jizhong Cavalry Regiment, stood up at the right moment. He grasped the bullet representing himself on the map and clenched it tightly. "We in Jizhong are not like the Jin-Cha-Ji region to the west, which has fighter planes from the border regions to protect us. We also lack artillery here. We can't deploy artillery with a range of 18 miles anytime soon..."

Political Commissar Wang glanced at the radio-type station that was buzzing in the corner of the room. This device, which could only receive messages but not send them, was intermittently broadcasting enemy situation reports and action orders from the Ji-Central Military Region.

"The military district ordered those troops behind enemy lines who could maintain their structures to cross the enemy's front lines as quickly as possible, return to their units, and prepare to assist the masses in evacuating. Those who couldn't cross were to find ways to hide on the spot and prepare to jump to the outer lines to fight. If the bottles and cans were gone, they could be replaced later. But if the people were gone, everything was gone."

"Yes," he sighed, "that's certainly true. The military district wants us to preserve our manpower and prepare for subsequent struggles, which is true—but what are those Japanese balloons used for? Staff Officer Ma has also explained to everyone."

Wang Nairong's eyes hardened. He placed the bullet next to the stone representing the Japanese soldiers in Chaluo Village. "It guides the field artillery fire, strikes our artillery and firing points, and shortens reaction time. This thing is the enemy's front-line artillery command post! If this thing is squatting seven or eight kilometers in front of our position, the comrades on the position will be chased and bombed by the enemy. A round of artillery that originally could not hurt a single person might kill a dozen comrades! Zhi..."

"It's not difficult to go. The Japs may seem powerful, but there are still many gaps on the front line, and we can penetrate through them. But in the current situation, that damn balloon bubble is hanging a few miles away from us. Can we just leave it alone? Can we?" Political Commissar Wang Nairong was silent for a while, then spoke slowly again.

"Now is the last party member representative meeting of the temporary party branch. If we can destroy the Japanese balloon position tonight, the comrades on the front line will be able to relieve a lot of pressure.

Now we don't have the ability to send a message, comrades, just raise your watches..."

Before he could finish, the staff officer with a bandage on his head raised his hand.

"Ma Chengfeng, a native of Pingxiang, Henan Province, is a communications staff officer of the 1st Battalion of the Jizhong Cavalry Regiment. He joined the Party in 1939. I agree." Then, another person who was acting as a temporary clerk raised his hand.

"Liu Ping, from Shenze, clerk in the County Party Committee Secretariat, joined the Party 40 years ago, agrees." Then, another older man in ragged clothes raised his hand.

"Shi Jiyun, from Nanma Village, was deputy captain of the Nanma Village Squad in Shenze County. He joined the Party in 41. I agree." "Shi Yintang, from Qingyuan, Henan Province, was captain of the Second Squadron of the Wuji County Guerrilla Brigade. He joined the Party in 40. I agree."

The temporary clerk wrote down the details on the back of a grimy leaflet, carefully folded it in half, and stuffed it into an empty can. Captain Shi also raised his hand—honestly, did this even require a vote? He'd already died once. Just a few days earlier, those comrades who had fought alongside him day and night were buried in the ground. Now, he simply had to find them.

But on the way there, you have to bring some gifts with you.

"Wang Nairong, from Jinzhai, Anhui Province, Political Commissar of the Jizhong Cavalry Regiment, joined the Party in 1932. I agree." Political Commissar Wang looked at the raised arms in the temporary command post and raised his hand calmly. "Tomorrow morning at 3:00 AM, I will take the lead."

The night gradually climbed over the sky. With the last bit of light from the setting sun, it seemed that one could see the balloons in the distance gradually descending - the Japanese balloon soldiers began to collect the balloons and prepare to spend the night.

This device, derived from a Chinese military observation balloon, could carry two observers and a full suite of observation and aiming equipment, including rangefinders and telephones, into the air. In good weather, it allowed for visual communication up to 10 kilometers, enabling artillery command. Combined with the superior training of the 2nd Field Heavy Artillery Brigade, once the observation post reported its position, they could unleash a devastating salvo within eight minutes, destroying distant Communist targets.

Anyway, in the air, no one can threaten me.

The balloonists shouted slogans as they pulled the balloons down from the sky and tied them to stakes near the ground. The squadron's accountants brought fragrant red bean rice and hot soup mixed with dried fish and chicken, and everyone ate and chatted. They talked about how many Communist artillery pieces they had destroyed that day, how many Communist soldiers a particular barrage might have killed, and occasionally bursts of laughter erupted.

However, this relaxing time didn't last long. The squadron's sergeants came over with belts and started whipping the men. According to the staff's meticulous plan, they had to quickly split up and sleep and watch, recover their strength, and prepare to launch the balloons again tomorrow to bombard the troublesome enemy positions. Hey, did you hear? It's said that those usually arrogant mecha troops suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of the Communists today!

real or fake?

Really! I'm telling you...

In this atmosphere, a dazzling white flare slowly flew over the sky of Charo Village, casting a pale white light.

Chapter 440: Sunset and Rising Sun

"So far, the artillery positions of the 2nd Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade and the 1st and 2nd Mobile Battalions have been attacked three times by small groups of Communist troops. All units have defended effectively, destroying only one mountain gun and injuring five men: two seriously, one slightly, and two who barely require medical attention. Including these two, the total number of casualties is four. All units estimate that over 50 Communist troops have been eliminated."

"The two battalions of the Mobile Logistics Brigade suffered eight attacks. Four of these were desperate assaults launched by individual Communist troops, all occurring during transport. The other four were organized attacks by small groups, all occurring during stops for supply and repairs. A total of seven autos were lost and six damaged."

"Individual units have also been attacked, resulting in 32 casualties and 7 injuries. "Sakuma-kun, this is the current situation of the attacks on our rear-end units," Kuribayashi Tadamichi reported, closing the file in his hand.

"I understand, Kuribayashi-kun, you've worked hard." In the dim room, a gas lamp illuminated the back of a man, while the rest of the room seemed to be shrouded in shadow. "But the attack cannot be stopped." He raised his voice and emphasized again, "The attack cannot be stopped!

"The Commander-in-Chief has entrusted us with this important mission, and we've already achieved this great victory. If we were to give up now, facing setbacks, wouldn't all our efforts be wasted? Wouldn't we be failing the Commander-in-Chief's expectations?" "I see," Kuribayashi Tadamichi replied. "Sakuma-kun, I'll be leaving now."

"Well, the nighttime deployment of each unit is now left to you."

Beneath the baggy officer's uniform, the voice was stiff and inarticulate. Kuribayashi Tadamichi glanced at the "Sakuma," turned, and left the room, closing the door behind him. Moments later, a heavy knocking sounded from the room, along with roars, insults, rebukes, and curses.

Sakuma Hitoshi, former commander of the 4th Cavalry Brigade and current commander of the Special Mixed Cavalry Brigade, was a 22nd class member of the Army Cavalry Division, a major general, a resolute and resolute cavalryman, and an avid supporter of the saber charge: in short, a board-mounted ruffian.

As a brilliant student who had studied in the United States and who had thoroughly studied the military tactics of European armies, Kuribayashi Tadamichi, a "prodigy of cavalry" during the Showa era, actually looked down upon his colleague, who longed to live in the past. Even after the Imperial Headquarters issued the order to disband shock cavalry, Kuribayashi remained oblivious to the impending replacement of shock cavalry by mecha units, stubbornly insisting on maintaining cavalry assault training. While this wasn't uncommon within the army, it nonetheless revealed his own insincerity.

It’s a pity that he is also his nominal leader.

As a new force, the Special Mixed Brigade was reorganized from the 4th Cavalry Brigade due to time constraints, and its original commander naturally inherited the unit's command. Therefore, Kuribayashi Tadamichi, who was entrusted by Okamura to train and revitalize the mixed unit, was relegated to the position of Chief of Staff, despite being of equal rank to Sakuma.

The brigade's headquarters was located in a village along the Fukazawa-Suning highway, occupying a large, two-story courtyard, the village's finest. After leaving the brigade commander's lounge, Kuribayashi Tadamichi entered the bustling command room: this was the main hall where the owner of the house used to eat. Now, thick cloths were hung around the windows and doorways to block out the light, citing a blackout.

"Your Excellency." Seeing the chief of staff walking towards him, a staff officer who was a little sleepy immediately stood at attention. Just as he was about to raise his hand to salute, he suddenly remembered the regulations emphasized by the chief of staff before the war, and could only awkwardly freeze his hand in mid-air. "Have the statistics of the troops in the two attacks during the day been compiled?" Kuribayashi turned the staff officer's hand back to his side and tapped the watch on his wrist, "Mr. Nakane, it's 2:25 now. You have five minutes to submit the report to me." Remember, the statistical results must be reviewed by two people to avoid stupid mistakes.

"And remember the source of the information in the report. I'll ask about it later."

"Hey, it's almost done, sir. The report is being reviewed!" Staff Officer Nakane was so frightened that he immediately turned around and rushed to the table covered with documents, "You guys, haven't you finished reading it yet? Hurry up, hurry up!"..." Kuribayashi Tadamichi glanced at the ordinary staff officers who were being scolded, turned around and called the chief accountant, "Go and make a pot of coffee to wake everyone up.

"ocean!"

"Remember to add twice as much coffee, but not twice as much hot water. Because there's more coffee, you need to pour the water more slowly. Um, as for the sugar...don't add it."

Soon, the summary report of the day was spread out in front of Kuribayashi, presenting the two attacks that took place this morning and afternoon.

A day and a half after launching the attack, the Japanese vanguard had its first encounter with the Communist defensive positions in Madian Town. After the first defeat, the regrouped Japanese army launched its first attack on the morning of the second day. This attack was commanded by Major General Sakuma. He rejected the advice of Chief of Staff Kuribayashi to "be cautious in contact and wait for the arrival of the infantry to make detailed preparations before attacking". He was determined to make a concerted effort and use the high-speed assault of cavalry and mechanized troops to capture the enemy in one fell swoop.

However, the results were less than satisfactory. During the assault on the two positions, the cavalry lost nearly a hundred men and several tanks. The previously invincible artillery preparation and cavalry assault suffered a setback against the tenacious Red Army positions, forcing them to return in frustration. The only silver lining was that the Japanese troops at the front reported on the Eighth Route Army's positions, their firepower deployment, and the minefields, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Based on this information, Kuribayashi Tadamichi, who witnessed the battle from the front lines, personally drafted a plan for the second offensive. A meticulous man, he adapted the available information to devise a strategy involving the use of observation balloons to suppress Communist long-range artillery, the deployment of infantry in coordination with tanks, and the support of engineers in their assault. He even explained in detail to his troops how to suppress anti-tank guns and portable direct-fire artillery. In the original history, his logistical calculations even allowed him to keep his force to just a few hundred men, ensuring every soldier had food and water while defending the final position on Iwo Jima.

This meticulous approach and the exceptional execution of the elite Japanese troops made the afternoon's offensive highly effective. The troops successfully penetrated the enemy's front lines and inflicted significant damage. However, the anticipated collapse of the Communist troops failed to materialize. Despite suffering heavy casualties, they remained resilient and staged a counterattack, repelling the charge. This time, despite firing numerous rounds of ammunition, none of the mixed brigade's seven Type 97 tanks returned, and the infantry lost more than a squadron.

So next, even though the commander shouted for a fierce battle, could the troops continue to fight?

"Chief of Staff, the infantry has enough food for five days; the cavalry has ample fodder; and the fuel for the vehicles, while limited, is sufficient for one attack and subsequent retreat." Seeing Kuribayashi's gaze fixed on the logistics tables, Staff Officer Nakane offered to explain. But Kuribayashi raised his hand to stop him, instead resting his chin on his hand and continuing his analysis. He scanned the data, slowly beginning to ask questions.

"Are the five-day rations for combat or for normal use? How much of the five-day ration is on the vehicles, and how much is carried on the infantry?"

"Sir Tao, of the five-day rations, four are in the baggage trains of the various units, and one is in the hands of the local soldiers. Since the start of the war, the various units have already consumed two days' worth of their rations. Behind the front lines, in the Zhengding and Wuji regions, there is still enough food to sustain the troops for seven days of attack—this is calculated based on the combat share."

"Very good. On the horse feed, I see that each part only lists the total weight. Why not the proportion? How much is barley? How much is bran and bean cake? And how much is hay?" Kuribayashi Tadamichi tapped the table. "How can your Majesty's war horses fight if we only feed them hay?"

"I've said it time and again: the devil lurks in the details, and they hold the key to victory. After I finish looking at this, go back and redo this part!"

"Hey! I'm so sorry, sir!" Staff Officer Nakagen could only stand at attention and accept the criticism. "But as for the fuel, I have asked each logistics squadron to report the specific quantity!" "Okay."

Kuribayashi nodded and continued to scan the report. Compared to typical cavalry units, mixed brigades require additional support in the form of tanks, automatic vehicles, and Mazda vehicles. The immense power of motorized advances requires constant consumption of this precious liquid fuel. If fuel reserves approach the return warning line, then as the Chief of Staff, he cannot afford to let the commander waste any more time.

"Why is there still so much fuel?" He frowned. The beautiful "fuel on hand" figures in the reports of several logistics squadrons made the Chief of Staff furious.

"Baga, you guys! Is this how you work? Borrowed from the Emperor

How dare you fool me with numbers?"

"Sir, this..."

"Why are you only reporting a total, and all of them are integers with o's? Haven't I told you repeatedly that fuel barrels should be stored in dispersed locations throughout the village?" Kuribayashi Tadamichi slammed the table and threw the report across it. "The Communist army's possession of aircraft was already reported long ago. Are you guys just being lazy? You bastards!"