Canteen System Assistance Notes

In the distant sky, tiny black dots swooped down on their targets like galloping steppe cavalry. With the roar of underwing rockets and the blast of the nose-mounted cannon and machine gun, a Ki-57 that had just slid onto the runway was hit in the fuel tank, sending a massive fireball soaring. The Ki-57, which had just detached from the runway, had its engine damaged by the rocket's discrete-rod warhead and the machine gun. After struggling for a long time, it finally gave out and crashed into the farmland beyond the end of the runway.

These Japanese generals who no longer wanted to be bound by gravity finally returned to the embrace of the earth in a physical sense. As for whether their souls could return to the gate of the Kudanban Shrine in this foreign country, no one knew.

Chapter 623: Army A Incident

The K(57, which was destroyed by the 153rd attack wave and two rounds of attacks, resulted in the complete annihilation of the First Army's generals and officers - not "almost annihilation" - Commander Yoshio Shinozuka, Chief of Staff Nishi Ojou, and many other staff officers and section chiefs from the General Staff and Intelligence Sections, a total of 26 people, all died in the crash and explosion of the plane.

As for why they died so thoroughly, it was naturally because at the same time as the air raid, the Eighth Route Army's northern siege troops also mobilized the motorized 122 artillery unit.

This force quickly moved to the west of the Fen River and quickly deployed, setting up artillery positions and, under the guidance of Maxwell's team, firing a large number of rounds around the airport. Finally, after about 18 hours, the Eighth Route Army, which had been freed up from the siege, had enough strength to send troops over to eliminate the remaining enemies and take stock of the results of the battle.

However, the remnants of the 'abandoned' 58th Division (formerly the 9th Independent Mixed Division) boarded a train and raced all the way to the Shouyang area. Due to the urgent change of formation and the need to strongly block the 36th Division, our understrength army was unable to form a sufficiently multi-layered defense to stop the rush of nearly a regiment of Japanese troops. Instead, they could only resort to layered blocking and delaying, striving to kill as many of their remaining troops as possible.

In this way, after being stripped off layer by layer along the way, many Japanese soldiers from the 58th Division were successfully picked up by the 36th Division who were trying hard to hold on here, and completed their evacuation. Even the group of wounded Japanese soldiers whose trucks were replaced by the army headquarters and had to be transferred by train broke through the Communist Army's blocking area under such circumstances.

At the same time, the commander of the 58th Division, Kenkichi Ikegami, was very cunning and boarded a light bomber and ordered the pilot to fly low between the valleys to escape, becoming one of the few senior officers of the First Army who managed to escape.

至此，在整个晋省战役中，除开筱冢义男和西大条胖，八路军已经击毙/消灭的日军指挥官已经达到了6人∶第52师团（原独混3】师团长毛利末店、第67师团（前独混18〉师团长堤不夹贵、第53师团(前独混4)师团长津田美武、第65师团(前独混16)师团长若松平治，41师团师团长清水规矩，37师团师团长畏野祐一郎。

The only one still alive was the commander of the 35th Division, Tokumatsu Shigeta. He had been trapped in the Changzhi area for a long time by local Eighth Route Army troops and guerrillas, repeatedly failing to break out. With food supplies running out and reinforcements lingering, he finally abandoned himself and led his troops in their "numerous general offensive." Ultimately, his entire army was surrounded by our forces, and he was defeated and captured. As for why he didn't commit suicide by disembowelment, it was probably because he was too hungry to lift the knife.

The tragic loss of eight generals and division commanders killed and one captured made it difficult for the Japanese headquarters to even whitewash the incident, vaguely referring to it as the "Army A Incident" to avoid referring to it by name. However, this did not seem to be the focus of the entire North China war in March 1942. After all, before the outbreak of the Shanxi Campaign, the Japanese army's main target was not Shanxi, but Shandong...

Let's rewind the clock about a month.

Before the outbreak of the Shanxi Campaign, the protagonist of the North China war situation must undoubtedly be the Shandong Campaign. The Kwantung Army naturally believed that it was the only one who could be the protagonist of this Shandong Campaign - cutting off the jurisdiction of the territory from the hands of friendly forces, establishing the Kwantung Army Jiaodong Task Force and the Seventh Army Headquarters, and swallowing up the rights and interests that originally belonged to the North China Army was naturally a great achievement and extremely satisfying.

However, in order to eat this piece of fat, the Kwantung Army needs to destroy a few "insignificant" communist airports and eliminate the communist forces on the Jiaodong Peninsula.

But this Communist army is not easy to defeat... Thinking of the Eighth Route Army's Kwantung Army in the Jidong base area, although they were arrogant, the new commander of the 7th Army, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, was still quite compliant. He finally pulled his staff together to carefully formulate a more thorough plan.

According to the original plan, after the 10th Division of the Kwantung Army unloaded in Jiaoao, the 28th Division would also land in Weihaiwei - these two forces would assume the main responsibility for the attack. Among them, the 10th Division would march into Zhucheng. If everything went well, it would continue to attack the Wulian Mountains and completely close off this hilly and mountainous area north of Rizhao.

At the same time, the 55th Division of the North China Army (formerly the 6th Independent Mixed Division) will send a total of 7 battalions to fight through Tai'an and move south. The 3rd Division of the Central China Army will send 2 regiments, a total of 6 battalions, to seek opportunities for landing in a land-launching operation. Even the 21st Division, which is unable to get away, will have to send troops to help and jointly attack the Rizhao area where an airport has been confirmed with the 10th Division of the Kwantung Army.

The 28th Division would primarily serve as a shield: they would free up the trapped 54th Division (formerly the 5th Independent Mixed Division) and unite them to open up the Yanhe-Weixian Highway and the Jiaoji Railway, breaking the current blockade. If Weixian were recaptured and the highway opened, the Kwantung Army's "great victory" there would provide them with the foundation for long-term control and exploitation of the Jiaodong Peninsula—cotton, coal, gold, grain... The vast supplies plundered from Shandong Province and even North China could then be shipped out to sea through the ports controlled by the Kwantung Army, allowing them to reap huge profits.

Okay, the plan is set, let's move!

The newly appointed commander, Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, reviewed the relevant plans, submitted a copy to the Kwantung Army Headquarters, and contacted the Navy regarding combat cover during the Nanjing talks. Then, he issued combat orders in the name of the Kwantung Army's Seventh Army, requiring all units to take action.

Soon, the 55th Division in Quancheng was relieved by part of the 59th Division (formerly the 10th Independent Mixed Division) in Liaocheng, and completed its assembly and preparations for moving south. The 3rd Division also arrived in Mo City, preparing to board ships and go to sea. The troops of the 10th Division also took the initiative to attack and captured Jiaozhou and Gaomi Gao on the outskirts of Jiaoao, which was a good start for the battle.

Immediately afterwards, the Battle of Shanxi Province began. The Eighth Route Army advanced from north to south, severing the Zhengtai Railway and overwhelming the First Army. To save the First Army, Commander Okamura, who had previously been relatively comfortable with dividing up Shandong Province, suddenly became more assertive. He personally intervened, using his considerable connections to abruptly seize the 28th Division, which had been unloading in Weihaiwei and Yantai.

Now, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, who was originally full of confidence, only had the 10th Division under his command - he suddenly became a "corps commander" who was only in charge of one division, and became a true commander without any troops.

"This Okamura Neiji is really going too far!"

Upon hearing this news, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi felt like a football striker whose last kick had missed, feeling as uncomfortable as if he had to pee but couldn't get to the bathroom, his chest feeling tight and breathless. This act of stealing someone's love was truly unkind, but Yoshimoto Sadaichi only dared to curse Okamura Yasuji in private and never dared to speak out in public.

What's more crucial is that not only is the 28th Division missing, but the 55th Division, which was originally used to cooperate in the battle, has also begun to waver, taking two steps forward and three steps back. Sometimes it says there are insufficient supplies, sometimes it says that the weapons have not arrived and the conditions for advancing are not met. In short, it is no longer willing to continue moving south and participate in the battle in Rizhao area.

Even the commander of the Jiaoao naval fortress had a drastic change of heart towards him, adopting an air of "look at this bunch of horse shit army!" Should the campaign to clean up the Shandong provincial airport still be fought?

Yoshimoto Sadaichi humbly telegraphed to the Chinese Army headquarters in Nanjing, inquiring about the cooperation of the friendly forces. However, when the telegram came back, he learned that Commander Okamura had already gone to the front lines to command the battle and was not available to attend to this matter. Moreover, the Chinese Army's reply telegram also forwarded Commander Okamura's words: "Shandong Province and the Jiaodong area have been transferred to the Seventh Army and are no longer under the control of the North China Army. I hope you will fight bravely to clear the Communist airfields and protect the skies over the Royalist Republic."

Lieutenant General Yoshimoto felt his fists clench.

At this moment, all the choices were weighing on him. If he called it quits while he was ahead and called off the attack, not only would he fail to complete the headquarters' mission, but the Kwantung Army's attack on Jiaodong would become a complete loss, and he would be ridiculed by the Chinese Expeditionary Army and the Navy, putting him at a disadvantage in the allocation of "special war funds." And if he attacked, the 7th Army, or rather the 10th Division, would face even greater risks than before, without two reinforcements.

If you lose, you will probably lose not only the "interest" but also the "principal". The ridicule of friendly forces will turn into punishment and penalties from superiors.

But if he wins, if he wins... Yoshimoto Sada—the hope of getting lucky in his heart emerged again.

The 7th Army of the Kwantung Army fought alone, fearless of the powerful enemy, and changed the embarrassing situation of the North China Army facing the Communist Army. It defeated the Communist Army in Shandong Province and destroyed the airport.

With all my heart, I will protect the safety of the Imperial Homeland. Next up, it's the Tokyo floats.

It is not impossible to march, take control of Jiaodong and even the entire Shandong Province, or even be promoted to the rank of general...

As the saying goes, high risk means high return. Although the risk of continuing to attack is high, the returns are really eye-catching and hard to give up.

Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi stood up in his office and paced back and forth. The image of the 5th Division of the North China Army slacking off appeared in his mind; he looked at the map and gazed at Jiaoao City outside the window. The commander of the Jiaoao Naval Fortress, who was respectful at first but arrogant later, made him feel disgusted.

The Lieutenant General lowered his head to read the plan, raised his head to look at the ceiling, and repeated this process several times - finally, the newly promoted commander of the Seventh Army made up his mind.

Chapter 624: Command Yourself, Command the Enemy

A qualified army can command itself, and an excellent army can command the enemy.

In many military textbooks of later generations, the Shanxi/Shandong Campaign, a key battle in the Second World War against Japan, was a classic confrontation between these two types of troops: as a qualified industrialized country's army, the Japanese army had the ability to enforce orders and implement the commander's orders, especially the Kwantung Army, whose equipment level and personnel quality were among the top levels among the Japanese invading forces in China.

However, in this battle, just like the First Army under General Fengcun Ningji, their confidence in advancing the campaign, the information for formulating plans, and even their grasp of the direction of the battlefield were all under the control, deception, and guidance of the Eighth Route Army: It can be said that the Japanese army's confidence in attacking, defending, and even rescuing friendly forces did not come from their own combat power or the battlefield situation, but from the Eighth Route Army.

Okamura Ningji, with his rich experience and mysterious intuition, realized at the last moment that he was under the command of the enemy and issued a general retreat order in advance.

The 36th Division, the 28th Division and part of the 58th Division (formerly the 9th Independent Mixed Division) were rescued;

Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto of the Kwantung Army was not so lucky.

Since he had decided to go, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi had to decide on the target.

The 28th Division was gone, the 55th Division (formerly the 6th Independent Mixed Division) had begun to openly slack off, and the 21st Division was constantly being harassed by the surrounding New Fourth Army. Now, the only forces that the Kwantung Army's 7th Army could easily dispatch were the Kwantung Army's 10th Division and part of the 3rd Division, which was heading towards the Magic City.

That is, a division has about 9 battalions of marines and 6 battalions of amphibious landing forces.

This wasn't much, really. Although he claimed the Communists were insignificant, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi remained cautious. He consulted with the 10th Division's commander, Jiro Togawa. After some discussion, they decided to narrow down the campaign's objectives—leaving aside the airfields on the Jiaodong Peninsula, the Jiaoji Line, and the Weixian-Yantai Highway. The 10th Division's primary objective would be to locate the existing Communist airfields in Rizhao.

If you want to control Rizhao, you must first capture Wulian Mountain; and if you want to capture Wulian Mountain, you must first occupy the cities.

When Linyi and Rizhao were still under the control of the Japanese army, Wulian Mountain and Zhucheng were not areas that the Japanese army could control. The Red Army guerrillas have been active here since the Workers' and Peasants' Revolution. In the original history, this area was under the leadership of the Shandong Southeast Special Committee and had its own anti-Japanese democratic government and anti-Japanese armed forces.

Unfortunately, in 40, the Wanxianhui, a reactionary Taoist sect controlled by the KMT reactionaries, took advantage of the opportunity when our main forces were fighting against the Japanese anti-mopping-up campaign to launch a large-scale uprising, persecuting Party members and progressive masses, and seriously weakening the strength of our Party and Army in the Wulian area. The Wulian Anti-Japanese Base Area subsequently shrank, and it did not begin to recover until 1943.

In this timeline, regardless of the fact that the KMT reactionaries had long since declined in Shandong Province, the sorcerers who practiced shamanic rituals were no match for 9mm pistol bullets and 82mm mortar shells. From 138 to 1942, the anti-Japanese base areas in Wulian and Zhucheng remained remarkably strong despite the encirclement of powerful enemies, acting as the backbone of the anti-Japanese base areas in southwestern Shandong.

However, the Kwantung Army did not know this.

They only knew that the scouts and search regiments they had sent out would encounter "guerrillas" about 30 kilometers from Zhucheng. If they went any further, the smaller scouts would be surrounded by guerrillas "all over the mountains and plains," while the larger search regiments would encounter Communist cavalry—Communist "cavalry" riding Mazdas and carrying machine guns and mortars.

They were not numerous, but they moved like the wind and could always find the base of the 10th Division Search Regiment inexplicably, fight and run away, making it impossible for the Japanese army's reconnaissance circle to expand, and they could only circle within 10 kilometers of the front line of the troops.

What's even more malicious is that these sidecar three-wheeled motorcycles seem to have been captured from the Japanese army.

One by one—one by one—one

If the troops encountered this situation repeatedly, according to normal combat theory, they would actually be unable to advance. If it were Okamura Yasuji and the North China Army, they would probably have faced the reality and retreated at this time.

Lieutenant General Jiro Togawa, commander of the 10th Division, also thought so. The former commander of the Imperial Guards Brigade and military police commander reported to Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto: The 10-kilometer reconnaissance range cannot guarantee the safe movement of the troops. Now the troops are insufficient. Even if about three battalions of defense forces (excluding the navy) stationed in Jiaozhou and Gaomi areas are withdrawn, it is difficult to guarantee the safety of the advance - insufficient troops, unclear enemy situation, now is the time to retreat.

At the same time, the Chinese Front Army forwarded the 3rd Division's telegram to the Kwantung Army's 7th Army Headquarters.

The telegram stated that the two regiments of the 3rd Division had arrived in the Magic City, but found that there was a serious shortage of motor sail boats, large boats and landing ships originally used to transport troops for landing - the landing ships had basically been mobilized to the southern battlefield, and many of the motor sail boats and large boats that originally existed on paper were missing. It was not known whether they were used for private transportation.

Fortunately, there were still many ordinary transport ships, but in this case, the 3rd Division could only board the transport ship, disembark at the dock with unloading facilities, and then transfer to large boats and landing ships for transportation - in short, they had to disembark in Lianyungang or Jiaoao first, and then transfer to small boats there before they could carry out the expected "land-lifting operation". A lot of time would be wasted going back and forth.

Alternatively, the Chinese Army asked whether they should abandon the plan for the Yanglu operation and allow the 6th and 68th Infantry Regiments of the 3rd Division to travel north by train and then fight after arriving in Xuzhou.

Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi covered his head with his hands.

In fact, he had a lot of front-line combat experience, and in terms of practical experience, he was not bad among Japanese generals: he had served as chief of staff of the 11th Army in Central China and the Central China Expeditionary Army, and he had seen many Chinese troops and participated in the command of many battles. His experience as chief of staff of the Kwantung Army gave him knowledge of large-scale troop operations.

However, the current battle situation was beyond all his previous experience - it was one thing to hear from the friendly forces' battle reports that the Communist army was difficult to deal with, but it was another thing to experience it personally.

"No, we have to be cautious, but we can't just give up like that."

He began to review the several plans offered by his staff, setting aside the one that called for abandoning the offensive and arranging a phased retreat back to Jiaozhou. The staff offered numerous suggestions and plans, such as calling on the army's patrons to dispatch reconnaissance aircraft for aerial reconnaissance to compensate for the lack of reconnaissance, splitting troops to form a protective barrier on both sides of the offensive route during the attack to block Communist raids, and attacking various cities to force the main Communist forces into a decisive battle.

After careful consideration, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi made a decision:

The troops should first focus their search and reconnaissance efforts on the flanks of the march. Using the search regiment as a guide, they would dispatch small, elite units in armored vehicles to counterattack the Communist Mazda units. Simultaneously, they would report back to the Kwantung Army, requesting the dispatch of the newly developed "Hyaku-Shiki" reconnaissance aircraft to conduct reconnaissance on the enemy. Next, the entire army would slow down its march, waiting for the 6th and 68th Infantry Regiments of the 3rd Division, preparing for the land operation, to complete their transfer to small boats at Jiaozhou Bay. Ultimately, the two forces would launch a combined land and sea attack on the Rizhao area, effectively wiping out the enemy positions in one fell swoop.

Of course, we had to continue sending telegrams, seriously requesting the North China Army to continue sending troops for support.

In this way, the army of tens of thousands of people slowed down its march and began to focus on counterattacking the Communist Army's harassment and rapid attacks. As expected, when the Communist Army's small detachments encountered attacks from regular organized troops, they suffered heavy losses and soon dared not to come again.

Taking off from Darini Airfield, Type 100 reconnaissance aircraft, at altitudes and speeds unmatched by the Communists, surveyed several selected target combat areas and transmitted intelligence. Although limited by the aircraft's flight schedule and the characteristics of optical observation, they covered only a small area, they still reported updated intelligence to the 7th Army: the Communists had approximately two regiments in Rizhao, diligently constructing city defenses, and another regiment in Wulian and Zhucheng.

"This must be the Communist army bluffing, hoping our army will misjudge their troop deployment and retreat!"

Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He waved his hand happily and said, "All troops, move out! Continue the attack! Within three days, I want to see the Imperial Army's flags hoisted on the city walls!"

Chapter 625: The Battlefield Before the Decisive Battle

Obtaining information about the enemy is often the beginning of every battle.

Large-scale troops, especially those larger than a regiment, find it difficult to conceal themselves on the plains. The movement of troops and the transportation of supplies are difficult to conceal from the eyes of scouts, especially aerial reconnaissance.

However, whether searching for a large-scale task force in the vast Pacific Ocean or finding one or more units in the rolling hills of Shandong Province, it was not an easy task. For example, with the experience gained by the 101st during the Long March, it was easy to hide the troops firmly and avoid the prying eyes of the Japanese "100-type reconnaissance aircraft" under the premise of radar system warning.

However, if this were the case, "the Japanese commanders who had not yet discovered the enemy's main force would probably not be so foolish as to truly believe that the target area was empty and underestimate the enemy (after all, they were not the Nationalist army). Instead, they would be more cautious, sending out more reconnaissance forces while further slowing down their pace and taking steady steps.

Therefore, you have to give them some reasons to convince themselves.

"The Air Situation Center reported that the enemy planes have begun to return and are expected to leave the radar detection range in 30 minutes." The communications staff sent the latest intelligence to 101 who was sitting in the chair.

According to the 450-kilometer maximum detection capability of the "No. 2 Early Warning Radar" deployed in the Rushan area, the "leaving the detection range" of the Type 100 reconnaissance aircraft actually means starting to lower its altitude and prepare for landing.

According to the summary sent from the rear, the Japanese airborne radio was quite backward. The onboard radio could only send simple information to the rear using Morse code. It could not achieve direct air-to-ground connection like the "Yanwu" series radio used by the Eighth Route Army (the Baofeng series was exported). It had to return to the airport to report detailed information after landing, and then send the information back to the 7th Army using large radios.

So in this way, 101 may have received this information earlier than Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto of the 7th Army. He turned his head to look at the military map of Shandong Province on the wall. Looking at the red squares and blue scissors drawn on it, he couldn't help but think of the KMT that once circled around the Chishui River.

101, who had never suffered any illness or disaster and had never been hit by a bullet, unexpectedly brought a glimmer of hope: "Yoshimoto Sadaichi, move."

The Japanese army in North China once had such a stubborn stereotype:

As long as we fight in an upright manner, we will definitely be able to defeat the Communist Army; the reason why the Communist Army is difficult to deal with is that they like to hide in the mountains and valleys and do not fight the Imperial Army in an upright manner.

This impression was shattered in the Battle of Western Mongolia, but according to intelligence obtained through the Manchurian Railway and Tongwen Academy systems, the Japanese army, especially the Kwantung Army, still had no personal experience and understanding of the concept that "the Communist Army already had firepower advantage in frontal combat." Most people just thought that the Communist Army took advantage of the sneak attack and caught the Mongolian troops off guard, which was also a despicable act.

Now, in this battle where the Japanese army is actively attacking, the 10th Division, with its highly equipped artillery and search regiments, air support, and supporting land forces, has a great chance of maintaining this view. However, this blind confidence alone is not enough - after careful calculations, the 101st believes that in order to make the Japanese army willingly move forward, some additional chips are needed.

For example, "the nominal right to choose the battlefield."

The Japanese army's campaign objective was very clear: they hoped to destroy Rizhao Airport, which they had confirmed was capable of launching and landing four-stage heavy bombers. Therefore, if they launched an attack with insufficient manpower, they would inevitably abandon other incidental targets and focus on this most valuable location. Based on the most pragmatic judgment, to control Rizhao, they must first capture Wulian Mountain; and to capture Wulian Mountain, they must first occupy Zhucheng. So, if the Japanese army believed that "as long as they were well prepared, they would be no match for the Eighth Route Army in a head-on attack," how would they think the Eighth Route Army should deploy its defenses?

Naturally, it was in the Wulian Mountains, relying on the mountains to build fortifications for defense, and outside Rizhao City, relying on the city defense fortifications originally built by the Japanese army for defense - choosing the battlefield for the decisive battle here can not only take advantage of the terrain to reduce the Japanese army's firepower advantage, but also allow them to fight in the hilly area they are familiar with. It is simply the best choice.

Therefore, the 101st not only mobilized the militias of Juxian, Rizhao, and Wulian to overhaul fortifications along the Zhucheng-Wulian-Rizhao highway, but also deliberately deployed troops to conduct defensive exercises near the repaired fortifications, and clamored for action when Japanese planes flew overhead, making a huge move.

The main forces withdrawn from various military sub-districts were distributed in Anqiu and Qinshui Mountains, which were far away from Wulian, and Maer Mountain on the eastern half of the Wulian Mountains, lying in wait, waiting for the Japanese army to enter Zhucheng before launching an attack.

101 The decisive battle to annihilate the main force of the Japanese army should be held in the Zhucheng area, which is the most advantageous for the Japanese army, in the rare plains between the hilly areas, and in the place where Yoshimoto Sadaichi is least vigilant, "before entering the decisive battle site!"

As expected, the 10th Division of the Kwantung Army began its operation the day after receiving the intelligence forwarded from the Kwantung Army Headquarters in Xinjing, the capital of Manchukuo.

To describe it with the witty words on the Internet in later generations, it is like an adventurer who has replenished supplies at the base, brought enough potions and scrolls, and is heading towards the core of the Demon King's City.

Of course, the road to the Boss room is not peaceful. From time to time, some "small monsters" will appear, which can kill gods if you gather three of them. The adventurer with the ID "Kwantung Army 7th Army 10th Division" is steady and cautious, never greedy, and carefully divides his energy (troops) to eliminate the "monsters" of all sizes along the way, ensuring the safety of his own flanks and rear.

Despite his dwindling stamina, he managed to reach Zhucheng County, the gatekeeper level before the "Boss Room." After unleashing the skills of "Fire Reconnaissance," "Artillery Preparation," "Partial Assault," and "Front-Wing Assault," the adventurer finally defeated the defenders of Zhucheng County and hoisted the flag of victory over the gates of the "Demon King's Castle."

Knowing they were no match for the Japanese, the enemy, after several rounds, chose a dark and windy night and launched a fierce but short fire assault, breaking the hastily formed encirclement of the Japanese army and fleeing towards Wulian.

Hey, could I possibly fall for your trick? If our army were to rashly pursue them now, they would surely lead us into the Communist ambush zone in the Wulian Mountains, resulting in our utter annihilation!

Yoshimoto Sadaichi laughed heartily. Seeing through the Communist Army's tricks made him feel a little relieved, but the next battle would not be easy. He knew that even if he did not step into the ambush circle in the Wulian Mountain area, it would probably not be so easy to break through the mountains and hills where the Communist Army had deployed its defenses.

He sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Jiro Togawa, the division commander on the front line, to remind him to pay attention to the troops' march and flank defense, and asked him to take out a lot of supplies to replenish the ammunition for the troops. As the army commander, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto also told the division commander Togawa not to rush into a rash attack and fall into the Communist army's trap. Instead, he should complete the replenishment of ammunition and the construction of positions in Zhucheng and make all preparations before sending a letter.

Move forward.

Unexpectedly, the 10th Infantry Regiment, the vanguard of the 10th Division, sent an urgent telegram for help after staying there for a day.

"Iron Corps (codename for the 10th Division), 10th Regiment, urgent report! Our troops in Zhucheng are under heavy artillery fire. The enemy has surrounded us! We are currently actively resisting in the city buildings. The enemy, intimidated by our fierce artillery fire, is unable to advance. Requesting tactical guidance, requesting tactical guidance!"

This telegram was sent to the 10th Division's headquarters and the 7th Army's headquarters. Meanwhile, the 39th Regiment of the 10th Division, stationed west of Zhucheng and yet to enter the city, and the 63rd Regiment, which had been dispersed and disbanded and was tasked with escorting the enemy, were simultaneously being blocked by the Communist Army. The Communists seemed to be rushing out from every pass in the mountain range, attempting to prevent the Japanese from advancing even a kilometer toward Zhucheng.

The 10th Division, which was still preparing to go to the Wulian Mountain area to fight against the Communist Army, fell into hell in an instant at the most relaxed moment before the war!

Chapter 626: Battle of Zhucheng

The battlefield in Shandong Province is not an isolated battlefield. The 101st not only needs to deal with the 10th Division in front of it, but also has to pay attention to the impact of the Shandong Province operations on the Shanxi Province campaign under the coordination of the central government.

In short, in the process of destroying the 10th Division, the 101st couldn't unleash its full firepower and output to quickly defeat the 10th Division. Otherwise, although Okamura Yasuji would most likely ignore this friendly Kwantung Army unit, he would most likely notice the situation and issue a "general retreat order" in advance, ordering the 1st Army to withdraw—a delay that would last at least a week.

But the 101st cannot fight too slowly. Not to mention letting the Japanese escape, if the Kwantung Army gets the news and judges that its troops may be finished and the North China Army is unable to rescue them, they may urgently dispatch troops from the Darini Sea Transport Force to reinforce and rescue them - according to the normal speed of the Kwantung Army, the safer range is 15 days.

To this end, the 101st Division set the basic principle of "luring the enemy deep into their territory, quickly encircling them, slowly attacking, and then attacking their reinforcements." This crucial task was entrusted to the golden duo of the Binhai Military Sub-district: Commander Chen Youzheng and Political Commissar Fu Zongzi. When these two highly skilled commanders took every factor into consideration, even the enemy commander's mindset, the battle was virtually guaranteed to remain unscathed.