Canteen System Assistance Notes

Afterwards, the Japanese army began to implement the time-tested "security rectification" method that had been formed since the time of Tada Shun and continued to improve. They first counted the weapons left by the Sichuan Army and the Shanxi Army and filled them into the garrison fortifications. Then, they matched the light and heavy machine guns as much as possible to form "machine gun detachments" to strengthen the selected teams, and equipped them with enough grenade launchers and ammunition to form a sufficient force to protect themselves.

But it is a "reinforced team" that does not consume much manpower.

These troops were sufficient to control the villages and towns within the coverage of the field artillery, providing the Japanese with a basic control area and protecting the fields within them so that they could be harvested and food could be harvested.

Immediately thereafter, the 35th Division began organizing "punitive forces" composed of infantry, reconnaissance regiments, artillery battalions, and supply troops. These independent units were capable of sweeping away surrounding guerrilla groups and conducting moderate sweeps for seven days. This "mobile attack" typically expanded the Japanese's territory, creating a "cross-zone" that neither the Japanese nor the Communists could maintain for long.

The food in this area is obtained by both China and Japan based on their abilities, and whoever is stronger will take it.

The price was that the combat effectiveness of the troops remaining behind would be greatly affected—but this was not a problem. Normally, the Communist guerrillas would tactfully move away as soon as they saw the field artillery firing test rounds. However, the Japanese soldiers of the 35th Division soon discovered that this routine, which had worked well on the North China Plain, seemed to be encountering some "incompatibility" here.

—-—--—--

The Japanese army first encountered the policy of clearing the countryside.

In the plains, the Japanese had witnessed this ability in the communist-controlled areas. Whenever the Japanese army advanced, they would clear out the villages along the way, leaving not even the straw mats and farm tools in the houses, and even the wells would be hidden tightly, leaving no supplies for the Japanese army.

However, the Japanese were not fools. They quickly figured out how to add a search regiment to the punitive force: by leveraging the speed and mobility of the search cavalry, which far outweighed human power, the punitive force could disperse and search for the retreating masses.

Since ordinary civilians couldn't move quickly with their belongings, the Japanese sometimes managed to catch them and lead their troops to catch up. The punitive forces often carried artillery, which was enough to defeat the Eighth Route Army troops protecting the people, or force them to abandon their carts and food and flee lightly - such raids always yielded results.

However, Changzhi is mostly surrounded by mountainous areas, and this group of Communist troops can hide the people in the mountains in a short time. The mopping-up teams on the periphery cannot find anything and can only eat the rations they carry with them, which greatly reduces their endurance.

This wasn't a solution. The 35th Division began submitting a request for reconnaissance aircraft support. Months later, the request was finally approved: the Army Aviation Corps in Peking dispatched two pilots, two flight sergeants, and a six-man maintenance team. They secretly crated two Type 95 Red Dragonfly trainer aircraft. These aircraft required little maintenance and required no runways, making them ideal for aerial reconnaissance in confined areas, searching for traces of Communist troops and civilians.

The operation was a success. The cheap and lightweight "Red Dragonfly" trainer aircraft successfully captured the Communists during several raids, forcing them to deploy troops to block the approaching punitive forces. However, the good times were short-lived. Almost a month later, four 1153 fighters followed the returning Red Dragonflies back to the temporary airfield in Changzhi, where they consigned the two aircraft, four ground crew members, one pilot, and twenty fuel drums to the afterlife.

In the end, the 35th Division was forced to transform the temporary punitive force into a permanent organization, and began to continuously "mobilize and attack" around Changzhi to clear out possible invasions by the Eighth Route Army.

————--—-

In half a month, the punitive force of the 35th Division achieved fruitful results, repelling seven or eight infiltration attacks by the Communist Army. The 92mm infantry guns and 70mm curved-rod guns made the guerrillas unable to fight back and could only shoot from a distance.

For a month, the 35th Division's punitive force persevered with its sweeping attacks, demonstrating its resolve. The results were respectable, repelling the Communists several times. However, the Communists frequently launched surprise attacks in the middle of the night, resulting in heavy casualties in both personnel and equipment. Furthermore, the familiar faces of the Eighth Route Army, which had been present at the battle, seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a new group.

After two months, the 35th Division's punitive force was paralyzed. They had to abandon the outermost "mopping-up circle" and began to move along the edge of the field artillery's firepower, and retreat into villages protected by artillery to rest at night.

For three months, mortar shells fell at night in the uninhabited villages where some punitive forces of the 35th Division lived. Some were 82mm, some were 100mm, and some were 160mm. The Japanese soldiers of the first type were forced to be on guard all night, while the Japanese soldiers of the second type were surrounded by a group of people and had to work hard to escape.

As for the third scenario, the Eighth Route Army sent messengers outside the Changzhi stronghold, notifying the Japanese to send an unarmed detachment carrying white flags to collect the bodies outside the recently lost Changzi County under the Eighth Route Army's surveillance. However, the 35th Division ultimately held out.

After all, there were not many main Communist Army forces here, mainly some local troops and guerrillas. By further reducing the controlled area to increase the defense density, the Japanese army further gave up some strongholds and consolidated the last effective defense area. Although the transportation routes passing through Jincheng had to pay taxes and "report" to the Eighth Route Army from time to time, they were still able to deliver some supplies.

Therefore, after the outbreak of the Shanxi Province Campaign, many officers of the 35th Division felt a sense of relief - after so long, they could finally move in!

They packed up their things and made preparations. While waiting for the friendly 36th Division to come to support them, the remaining search team of the 35th Division began to advance to scout the area, preparing to first break through Changzi, move into Jincheng, and after joining forces with the Yangcheng troops, finally leave this sad place of the Imperial Army.

But this time, the situation changed rapidly.

With the surrounding Eighth Route Army's composition largely unchanged, the search team, which had been deployed to conduct reconnaissance, was targeted by several Communist guerrilla groups and met with a combination of landmines, sniper rifles, and 60mm mortars. After leaving behind several bodies, they were beaten back in disgrace.

Then, the supply team that was supposed to pay taxes and pass through was stopped. The "maintenance chairman" who was usually in charge of delivering messages said sternly: This time, there is no way.

Even after paying the tax, Master Ba wouldn't let me leave.

Then, the 35th Division of Yangcheng was surrounded by the main force of the Communist Army and could not hold on after the attack all night. They urgently asked for help from the headquarters of Changzhi County.

I hope they will send troops from Jincheng to rescue us. However, when the reinforcements were on their way,

When they reached the mountains between Jincheng and Yangcheng, they were intercepted by the Communist army. After a round of artillery fire, although the reinforcements suffered few casualties, they saw the soldiers and horses running on the distant hills, circling their flanks, and had no choice but to retreat.

At the same time, reports of cold gunfire and cold artillery attacks around Changzhi County increased rapidly. A large number of wounded people appeared in various squadrons and battalions at once, almost filling up the field hospital and sick horse station of the 35th Division.

In the end, the 35th Division could only watch helplessly as the Japanese troops in Yangcheng started with telegrams asking for help, gradually transitioned to farewell messages and remote greetings whose existence was unknown, and finally disappeared from the radio frequency band.

Like a frog in boiling water, the 35th Division and its commander, Shigeta Tokumatsu, finally noticed the rising water temperature and the malicious fire starter outside the pot. In extreme fear, the 35th Division began its final struggle.

Outside Changzhi, however, villages abandoned by the Japanese had been connected by Communist fortifications. Similar to the anti-Japanese trenches in central Hebei, they stretched down from the mountainous terrain, connecting the previously flat Changzhi Basin into a dense spiderweb, which in turn surrounded the Japanese fortifications in Changzhi County. Whenever the Japanese attempted to break out from the south, east, or even north, they were met with continuous attacks from the Communists, who relied on the maneuvering and movement of their fortifications.

The 35th Division, already severely weakened by blood loss, tried repeatedly but couldn't break through the three layers of encirclement stretching over a hundred kilometers! "Gentlemen! We can't just sit there and wait for death!"

Lieutenant General Shigeta Tokumatsu, who was good at artillery warfare, slammed the table and shouted to his regiment commanders and battalion commanders, "The Communist guerrillas want to trap us in Changzhi.

Trapped to death, starved to death!"

"The mountain road to the north is long, the west is the Communist-controlled area, and the road to the east is rugged and blocked by the Communists. If we want to survive and successfully advance, we must march south, break through Changzi, rush through Jincheng, and then link up with the 36th Division!"

He held high the "battle rice ball" in his hand, which was almost as big as a thumb. Because he couldn't find pickled plums and sushi vinegar, this super mini rice ball was stuffed with chopped red dates and persimmon vinegar, making it look yellow and sticky. Shigeta Tokumatsu put the rice ball in his mouth, chewed it and swallowed it.

"Gentlemen, please fight bravely for your survival!"

Chapter 613: The Shota Line Blocking Battle?

The battlefield in Shanxi Province was already boiling, and many battles were also taking place outside Shanxi Province.

In order to contain possible reinforcements of the Japanese army, most of the troops in other bases launched massive feints or attacks against the enemy in front of them to prevent them from moving from their garrison areas to provide support on the battlefield in Shanxi Province.

This type of fighting was highly effective. For example, the Japanese 57th Division (formerly the Independent Mixed Division A) in the Qingyuan area, which had originally been assigned to defend Luanyuan and Fuping and had lost about two battalions in the previous mopping-up campaign in central Hebei, was already understaffed. Now, it was being repeatedly harassed by the Beiyue and central Hebei bases, unable to even leave its stronghold and was completely immobilized, let alone mobilize reinforcements.

But this trick doesn't work all the time.

The Eighth Route Army on the northern front concentrated BT tanks and "Big Bren" armored vehicles, carrying mechanized infantry to bypass Xinkou and attack the 67th Division (formerly the 18th Independent Mixed Division) from the side.

At that time, the 28th Division of the Kwantung Army arrived at Shimen and finally started to move.

If there are enough troops, a qualitative change will occur.

When the 28th Division, advancing as a full division, arrived at Shimen, the previously vulnerable 110th Division's defense zone immediately became stronger. Having never experienced the devastation of security battles, the 28th Division quickly secured the Shimen area and took control of the area over ten kilometers around the airport, restoring the possibility of forward air deployment.

紧接着，原本只能以北平南苑机场为基础驻扎的日军航空兵开始派遣以6架隼式和12架97式为混编首飞行中队进场--这6架隼11还是冈村从本土要来的'新锐战机"--虽说难以像对国军那般直接斩获制空权，但是也足够保证28师团不被共产军随意轰炸骚扰了。

Later, as the 36th Division decisively abandoned its friendly forces trapped in the Changzhi Basin and turned eastward, Okamura Yasuji finally gained the final mobile force. He canceled the rest and recuperation of this unit and loaded it onto a train and transported it north to Shimen Railway Station.

Now, the tactical action of attacking from east to west to open up the Zhengtai Line, lift the blockade for the First Army, and even strike back to repel the Communist Army finally became basically feasible.

The 28th Division, the 36th Division, and part of the 110th Division, a huge attacking arrow consisting of three numbers, began to advance along the Shotai Line.

The battlefield here was relatively narrow, hindering the smooth deployment of the Japanese forces. However, compared to their previous advantages in manpower, artillery firepower, and logistical support via the railway, the Japanese still had a significant advantage. Under the powerful offensive, the Japanese finally regained some of their former glory and momentum.

28师团以加强的独立野战重炮兵第23联队第一大队的6门96式150榴为核心(剩下两个大队的12门被冈村阁下筛走了），集合自身编制内的野炮及36师团编制下的山炮，集中运用，以非常“关特演”的方式展开了炮火。

At the same time, sufficient manpower also allowed them to separate enough troops to climb the mountains on both sides while the main force of the Zhengtai Line was advancing, to cover the flanks of the 28th Division and prevent our army's surprise attacks and ambushes.

A large number of skirmishes and offensive and defensive battles erupted along the Zhengtai Railway. The main and local forces on the front lines were immediately attacked by the Japanese. The completely different combat style from that of their old adversary, the First Army, made our troops, newly engaged in battle with the Kwantung Army, feel a bit uncomfortable for a while.

These Japanese troops' fighting style was aggressive, fierce, and ruthless. They were not only adept at coordinating infantry and artillery, but also lavished their artillery fire. Most importantly, they lacked the cautiousness honed by the First Army through long battles, but were instead exceptionally bold, or perhaps even possessed a "strong desire to attack."

Resolute in attack and bold in pursuit, even when their vanguard units came under intense fire, they would not quickly huddle together, alternating between cover and retreat. Instead, they would charge forward, attempting to bite them, and call for reinforcements or artillery fire from the rear. For a time, many frontline troops, after silently absorbing a barrage of shells, were torn apart by the hyena-like attacks of the Japanese, suffering heavy losses.

In normal times, the Taihang and Beiyue bases could have retreated in large strides, using their internal mobility advantage to stretch out and flatten these aggressive Japanese troops. After the fat horses became thin and the thin horses died, they would then look for the enemy's weak points and take the initiative to attack, encircling and annihilating the enemy's organized troops at a relatively low cost.

But in the current situation, how could there be time and space for the Eighth Route Army to give way, lead the Kwantung Army, whose morale is high, around in circles, and fight with the idea of ​​counter-mopping-up?

"The devils...the devils are trying to take a gamble!"

Li Desan, commander of the Taihang Military Region, held up the map with his hands. The blue arrow representing the Japanese army was thick and strong, pointing fiercely towards the Zhengtai Line. Our army troops responsible for defense were densely packed along the Zhengtai Line, like a dam blocking floods.

"If the Japanese had figured out the situation and wanted to escape en masse, they should have launched an attack eastward from Jinyang and Jinzhong, confronting the Japanese in Shimen from the east and west.

Once the two sides meet, they will immediately gather their defenses and retreat eastward one by one.

Therefore, if they really want to retreat, the Japanese troops starting from Shimen will definitely set up multiple lines of defense on the offensive route, set up artillery, and prepare to support the retreating troops when they retreat.

Li Desan analyzed, "They wouldn't just charge forward recklessly like this, with their backs to the water, ready to fight to the death. If we continue to fight like this, the Japs not only want to break the siege, but also want to fight a decisive battle with us at the gates of Jinyang!"

"That makes sense. Previously, intelligence sources said the Kwantung Army's 28th Division was forcibly taken from Shandong Province by Fengcun, and they wouldn't necessarily risk their lives to attack for the North China Army. It seems their estimate was biased. After all, this is a conflict within the Japanese Army, not between the Navy and the Army."

Opposite Li Desan, Xiao Yucheng also touched his bearded chin and expressed his own views.

"Or perhaps the 28th Division was caught in a fire and had to move forward.

"Could it be that Okamura Yasuji quietly ran to Shimen and personally commanded them?" he laughed. "The commander was stabbing the Kwantung Army in the back with his saber, forcing them to run forward."

Ha ha ha ha!

The solemn atmosphere in the command center finally subsided a little, and the two commanders in charge of the central battlefield began to plan their next response.

Now, on the Zhengtai Line battlefield, the Japanese army is attacking fiercely with the 28th Division as the vanguard. Our army is also attacking along the Zhengtai Line, with Xuehuashan-Changshengkou, Guangou,

Five lines of defense were set up in Jiuguan-Niangziguan, Pingding and Yangquan, relying on the Japanese army and

They used the fortifications left behind by the national army for defense.

The northern and southern battlefields of Shanxi Province were gradually closing in, like a nutcracker being squeezed tight. The Japanese wanted to break through the Zhengtai Line and enter the empty Jinyang City, relying on the city's defenses and fresh troops to fight a decisive battle with our army under the city. As commanders of the Eighth Route Army, Li Desan and Xiao Yucheng naturally brought the battlefields they were responsible for into the overall situation and thought about the logic of the next action from a higher battle level.

"First of all, we can't let the devils into Jinyang."

Xiao Yucheng made his first assessment: "After entering Jinyang, the First Army headquarters will likely flee, regardless of anything else. However, rigidly resisting the Japanese superiority and firepower head-on," he hesitated, "is not wise and would be a futile attempt."

"So I think we can send Taiyue's troops out of Pingshan and Lingshou to attack Shimen!"

Xiao Yucheng pointed across the Zhengtai Line and pointed toward the Japanese army's rear. "The Japanese are attacking the Zhengtai Line with two divisions. The 110th Division, originally defending Shimen, is already weakened. If the Taiyue and Jizhong bases work together to attack Xinle and Zhengding, severing the Pinghan Road, the Japanese will be in danger of being blocked on the Zhengtai Line and will have to return for reinforcements."

"While there's a railway along the Shotai Line, the Japanese 36th and 2nd Divisions carry a lot of heavy equipment. It's no easy task to get them to rotate 10 degrees and return home," he concluded. "If they can take it, they fight; if they can't, they retreat. I don't believe Okamura Yasuji would risk having two divisions surrounded on the Shotai Line."

This is a very active and proactive defensive tactic.

In order to defend, they had to launch an offensive. Leveraging their superior internal maneuvering speed, they could mobilize their forces to threaten key points in the enemy's rear, forcing them to return for reinforcements. Furthermore, the attacks on Shimen and Zhengding could be transformed into feints and main attacks at any time, effectively transforming passive defense into active offense: They could command not only themselves but also the enemy.

However, Li Desan frowned and said nothing. He took out a small flag and placed it on the map, as if he was doing some mental calculations. Soon, he asked back:

"Why is successive resistance a 'dumb battle'?"

"Right now, the Japs are still dreaming of a decisive battle with us outside the city. But I'm afraid they won't think so soon. The 67th Division (formerly the 18th Independent Mixed Regiment) and the 58th Division (formerly the 9th Independent Mixed Regiment) on the northern front have been largely wiped out. Once Pingyao on the southern front is lost, I'm afraid the Japs won't think so anymore! Their goal may become to support the First Army and escape. If we attack Shimen at this time, the 36th Division and the 28th Division will immediately turn around and flee. Our goal of destroying the enemy's effective forces will probably fail.

"Furthermore, if we want to mobilize the enemy, Shimen and Zhengding may not be the best choices..."

"Let's take a step back and let them in. What if they enter the Jinzhong Basin? Can the Japanese soldiers of these two divisions still escape?"

He pondered for a moment: "Now, we have to help the devils 'strengthen their confidence'!"

Chapter 614 Okamura’s intuition

In a sense, Xiao Yucheng guessed right.

The Kwantung Army certainly didn't want to risk their lives for the North China Army. Furthermore, the 28th Division was acquired by Okamura Yasuji, who, after wielding every possible connection, had "snatched" it from the newly established Kwantung Army's 7th Army and the Jiaodong Expeditionary Corps, which were destined for the Shandong Province offensive.

This act of stealing someone's love naturally displeased the Kwantung Army, so the 28th Division was slow and unenthusiastic in re-boarding the ship from Weihaiwei. But who knew that when the ship carrying the 28th Division arrived at the port of Jieshi Island, the division commander, Shinji Ishiguro, saw an old man waiting for him at the dock. It was Okamura Yasuji himself.

"Commander Okamura..."

Ishiguro Shinori dared not neglect him. The general before him was not only his nominal superior, but also his senior in the Army Academy, a top graduate of the Army University—Ishiguro himself hadn't been admitted to the Army University—and he even had complex connections in the headquarters. He could neglect him behind his back, but in person, the pressure this old man brought was enormous.

"Needless to say, the First Army's survival now depends entirely on you." Okamura Yasuji, accompanied by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Arisue Seizo, thanked the 28th Division for their hospitality and greetings before boarding the carriage carrying the division headquarters. He found a seat and gave a simple order: "Now, please depart as soon as possible!"

From Jieshi Island, they passed through Sijiucheng, and then south through Zhuozhou and Qingyuan, finally arriving at the frontier city of Shimen, which was under martial law. The 28th Division established its headquarters in Shimen City on the south bank of the Haituo River, while Okamura Yasuji quietly took refuge with his guard troops at Shimen Railway Station.

Here, he set up antennas and wired telephone lines and began to monitor the battle situation on the front lines in real time. Compared to the Iron Lion Alley in the old city, here he could receive battle reports more promptly and issue orders to correct any misjudgments made by the frontline troops.

At the same time, the super-mini "front committee" composed of Okamura, Arimi Seizo and several capable staff officers sent a telegram directly in the name of the North China Front Army Command, and transferred the 36th Division, which had escaped from Zhongtiao Mountain and was preparing to rest, as backup.

The offensive on the Shotai Line was not smooth. After an initial panic, the Communists quickly adjusted themselves and began to resist the Imperial Army, relying on remaining fortifications and terrain. Okamura did not "micromanage" the 28th Division's specific offensive pattern, but simply instructed them to be cautious of the Communists' mountain warfare capabilities.

Ever since he took office, Okamura Yasuji had been deeply impressed by the Communist Army's ability to rapidly adjust and adapt—a fact shared by both the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army he had previously encountered. Compared to the Nationalist Army, which could only maintain its presence by defending its front lines, and the Kwantung Army, which relied heavily on the Infantry Drill Manual, the Communist Army's tactics seemed to possess a remarkable ability to adapt.

For example, during the offensive along the outermost Xuehua Mountain-Changshengkou defensive line, the Communists were caught off guard by the 150mm howitzers carried by the 28th Army. This resulted in a rare situation where the Japanese artillery was suppressed, hindering their firepower. Numerous frontline positions collapsed under the heavy 150mm howitzers, inflicting heavy losses. The Kwantung Army's battle reports, brimming with pride and confidence, declared their breakthrough of the Communist lines effortless.

In the following days of attack, the Communists quickly abandoned their use of 75mm field guns (also known as the US M1 mountain guns) to engage the Japanese, and instead began deploying personnel and digging positions on the reverse slope, leaving only a few sentries on the ridgeline to monitor the Japanese. Whenever the 28th Division believed a hilltop was deserted, the attacking troops would be met with intense fire, forcing them to hastily retreat down the mountain.

The 28th Division responded immediately: they deployed the reinforced 12th Independent Heavy Mortar Regiment, using Type 97 150mm short mortars to attack the Communist positions on the reverse slope. This effectively suppressed the Communist counterattack. However, soon after, as the 28th Division began its assault on the second Guangou defense line, the Communists brought out the weapon that had inflicted the First Army's greatest fear: the 160mm heavy mortar.

The method of use was also very strange: when the front-line positions of the Communist Army were attacked by the Japanese army, they would only put up simple resistance and then abandon their positions and retreat. Later, when the Japanese attacking troops entered the positions and began to turn over sandbags and obstacles, 41 kg heavy grenades would fall from the sky, killing and injuring the Japanese soldiers in the fortifications - at the same time, the real counterattack of the Communist Army would come - at this time, the troops of both sides were entangled with each other, the Japanese 150 howitzers were inconvenient to use, and the 75 mountain guns could not attack the Communist artillery on the reverse slope. The 150 short mortars had a shorter range than the 160 heavy mortars. Once exposed, they would be suppressed and beaten, causing considerable losses.

The casualties of the 28th Division were increasing every day, but it was still tolerable, and the rotational combat method also allowed the troops to maintain their due combat effectiveness and be able to fight continuously;

The progress of the offensive was never fast, but the front was indeed steadily extending forward, gradually pushing westward, reaching the "decisive battle site" designated by General Okamura Yasuji. The Communist army was also quite tactful. When it was confirmed that a certain place was no longer necessary to defend, it would decisively withdraw to reduce losses. It was a remarkable decisiveness of their decision.

But the pressure, like the battle lines and casualties, is growing day by day, like a gradually filling pool.

Xuehua Mountain-Changshengkou, Guangou, Jiuguan-Niangziguan... Fengcun was like a coal shoveler squatting in the driving cab of a locomotive, silently and firmly shoveling the lives of the Japanese soldiers into the meat grinder and incinerator called the Zhengtai Line, driving the Japanese army's front line to gradually extend forward.

He didn't dare stop, or even slow down.

Unconsciously, Okamura Yasuji's goal began to loosen, from repelling the Eighth Route Army and protecting the Jinzhong Basin to a decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army under the city of Jinyang; then, as the 67th Division (formerly the 18th Independent Mixed Regiment) on the northern front sent a farewell telegram, the remnants of the 58th Division (formerly the 9th Independent Mixed Regiment) shamelessly requested "tactical guidance", and even the outcome of this decisive battle began to fade into darkness and became unclear.

As for the report from Quancheng that the 7th Army seems to be encountering difficulties... that's the Kwantung Army's business, why report it to me? What does it have to do with me?

Okamura was determined to rescue the First Army's headquarters.

"Commander! Our vanguard has broken through the Pingding area!"

Finally, after paying a heavy price, the exhausted 28th Division, relieved by the 36th Division, broke through the Communist defenses in Pingding County. From there, the assault on Yangquan County, the core of the Zhengtai Line, began. "Let the Snow Regiment (codename of the 36th Division) take over the attack from the Li (Li) Regiment (codename of the 28th Division). After defeating Yangquan, the Snow Regiment would again lead the attack."

After staying up late and working overtime intermittently, Ningji Fukazura, who finally had two dark circles under his eyes, finally received a report that made him breathe a sigh of relief: as the depth of the attack increased, the resistance of the Communist army finally did not become stronger, but gradually began to weaken.