Canteen System Assistance Notes

"Commander Zhang, haven't you figured it out yet? Communist Party representative Zhou Dingming and General Li came in the same car, talking and laughing. So how could General Li be a member of the Communist Party?"

He must have voted for the Communist Party!"

But what could be done? Although the Communist Party welcomed surrender and said that as long as weapons were laid down, there would be no more fighting, the subsequent screening and reckoning were inevitable. Sun and Zhang thought to themselves, their group of useless soldiers, from the top to the company commander, were probably still able to escape.

That myself...

But the deadline set by the Communist Party is coming in a few days. How will we respond then?

The two men discussed for a long time, but couldn't come to a conclusion. Zhang Lanfeng called in Chen Jingzhai, the pseudo-Henan Province governor in charge of negotiations with the Communist Party, and gave him some instructions on how to communicate with the Communist Party representatives and how to respond. Then he abruptly ended the meeting.

However, not long after the commander and the director separated, the situation changed.

After returning to his base, Zhang Lanfeng summoned his adjutant and whispered a few words to him. Then, a group of men wearing dark Mao suits and round hats walked in and bowed to Zhang Lanfeng, "Commander Zhang, are you ready?"

I'm ready. In the end, Director (Jiang)'s words ring true. The Communist Party is so petty, it will never achieve great things. I, Zhang, naturally can't hesitate—I'm ready and can set off tonight!

"That's not good," the guy who looked like a Rangers investor nodded and confirmed, "Commander Zhang, you haven't told Director Sun about this, have you? We brothers are all brave men, but in this situation, I'm afraid we can only protect you and your family. If there are too many people, it will be easy to be exposed."

"Don't worry, the Suns have absolutely no idea. Brothers from the Central Committee, I'll trouble you to take responsibility for the lives of Zhang's family!"

At the same time, a similar conversation was taking place in a residential building near a makeshift runway on the outskirts of Kaifeng. "Director Sun, the Type 95 advanced trainer aircraft can only carry one person. Did you... not leak the information?"

"No, no, how could that be! Look, little brother, I didn't even bring much with me. I remember exactly what you said about 'the plane's limited capacity'."

"That's no problem, Director Sun. Please wait here for a moment. We'll depart at daybreak! Don't mess around on the plane. Put on your goggles and get some sleep. We'll be in Jinling City!"

Chapter 786 Today Okamura and No. 8 are still happily collapsing

Sanhe County was the last gateway to Beijing since Qi Jiguang took office in Jizhen. It was also the last line of defense for the Central Plains regime against the southward attacks of the northern regime since the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In an alternate future, it is surrounded by the capital and Tianjin municipalities, forming an "enclave" of Hebei Province. Of course, it currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Ji-Re-Liao District Administrative Office of the Republic of China. Of course, because the area is still occupied by the Japanese, actual jurisdiction remains in the hands of the pseudo-"North China Political Affairs Committee."

However, a distinguished guest came here recently.

General Okamura Yasuji (good reading)!

In order to facilitate the transfer, the moment he learned that the Eighth Route Army had launched the North China Campaign, Okamura lifted the card covering his backfield - in the name of "establishing a reserve command force", he transferred himself and half of the staff from Tieshishi Hutong to Sanhe County in order to ensure that he could escape the "effect" of the subsequent launch of the Eighth Route Army - just like the Kwantung Army Headquarters running towards North Korea on the day of the August Storm in history, he was quite skilled and agile.

The railways intersect here, providing convenient transportation, allowing Okamura to easily use the railway for "transfers." Meanwhile, the Army Aviation Battalion had cleared a simple runway outside the city, deploying several reconnaissance and VIP transport aircraft. General Okamura had an unusually wide range of options.

In addition, the diligent and useful Lieutenant General Iimura Jo took away most of the battle command tasks, so Lord Okamura was able to steal

A moment of leisure.

Yes, take a break from your busy schedule.

Despite the Communist offensive around Zhengxian, despite the near-complete collapse of the 106th Division, and despite the complete destruction of the 36th Division, General Okamura Yasuji managed to maintain his "leisurely and elegant" lifestyle. He rose promptly at 6:30 a.m., showered and changed before breakfast, recited poetry, and, at the divination master's request, drew a divine fortune and interpreted the revelations from the "One Hundred Gathas." After attending to basic military duties in the morning, he enjoyed a fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine for lunch in the quiet of his office, savoring ice wine, grilled fish, rice crackers, and sweet fruits, accompanied by a bowl of rice from the small station.

In the afternoon, I grabbed my security, phone, and fishing rod and headed to the ditch to cast my line. While the conditions weren't as good as the Beihai spot I'd once used to fish at in Peking, the water quality in the small, cleared river was still acceptable, and there were people helping me bait the bait, which was a unique experience.

?

"Sir, Zheng County has fallen, and the 36th Division Headquarters... has been completely destroyed."

"Sir, the Communist Army's naked mecha unit claims to have captured Kaifeng. Over 100,000 Imperial Army troops within the city... have been surrounded and disarmed."

"Sir, the intelligence department reports that the Communist army has entered Luohe. The communications of the 'remaining spies' in the city have been cut off, and it is determined that they have been eliminated by the Communist army." Plan No. 8 has in fact collapsed.

The flood of reports about Henan Province was making Okamura a bit upset, but this was indeed the latest military intelligence and he couldn't ignore it. He could only nod and respond in an impeccably calm tone: "Okay, I understand."

Today was March 5th, seven days since the Communist offensive began in northern Henan. As Okamura Yasuji watched his staff officer bow his head, put away his briefing book, and retreat, he returned his gaze to his fishing rod and float. However, his gaze unconsciously glazed over the emerald river, and he began to fall into a cycle of thought that had often afflicted him recently.

What exactly is the Communist Army's goal?

Yes, where exactly was the main attack direction of the Eighth Route Army?

Okamura had been pondering this question since the beginning of the campaign. He envisioned the Eighth Route Army, with a total strength of perhaps a million, launching simultaneous attacks on multiple fronts, including but not limited to penetrating Zhangyuan and Beiping, or launching direct assaults from Shimen and Zhengding. At the very least, he could have the Eighth Route Army in Shandong Province initiate the offensive, perhaps attacking Jiao'ao and Quancheng, thus achieving a "feint to the east and attack in the west" tactic.

But now the Eighth Route Army is putting all its strength into attacking targets in Henan Province. What's going on?

You launched an attack with a force of hundreds of thousands of Communist troops, and your target was Henan Province? What a joke!

Although the territory of Henan Province is flat and conducive to the movement of "Mechanized Units", the Chilu Mobile Corps, which is famous for its mobility and breakthrough power, actually stayed in Henan Province for a whole week to clean up the Imperial Army and the Imperial Affiliated Army -... To be honest, although Okamura Yasuji expressed regret and sorrow, he did not care about the annihilation of the 100,000 or so Wang Puppet Army - and gave up chasing the 106th Division, and in one fell swoop marched northward to penetrate Qi County, Tangyin and Anyang, and headed northward to the 5th Division (formerly the Independent Mixed 1st Division) behind the 106th Division.

Even their news and that of the KMT are reporting every day, "Our army liberated a certain place in Henan Province today," "The Communist army marched into a certain place in Henan Province..." Could it be that the Communist army is expecting me to believe these reports? I'm not some naval horse shit!

Honestly, if the war unfolded in this way, it would be a boon for Okamura and the North China Army. After all, attacking along the railway from south to north would inevitably deplete the Communist offensive momentum, giving the North China Army and the Kwantung Army ample time to redeploy their forces. The Japanese could then gradually establish three lines of defense south of Handan, in Shimen, and in Baoding, effectively preventing a Communist breakthrough. Even if the Eighth Route Army were able to penetrate all three lines of defense, their casualties would be horrific.

But is it really that simple?

After experiencing the Battle of Western Meng and the Battle of Shanxi Province, Okamura Yasuji, who had been "played" many times, had involuntarily developed a habit - when he met anyone of the same

(When it comes to matters related to Lu Jun, reject the first thing you come up with instinctively and intuitively.

—set of answers.

After all, apart from facing the Eighth Route Army, Japan has never had a history of army-level units being completely annihilated in battle, especially in frontal combat! So this must be the Communist Zhu and Mao's tricks. They must be creating confusion and tricking me into dispersing my forces! They want another annihilation battle! No, I have to hold my breath and wait until the "real main force" of the Communist Army appears before making a final decision!

This unpredictable and difficult-to-judge situation stirred a nameless fire within him. Okamura Neiji unconsciously clenched his fist and pounded the small table. Even the fishing rod on the platform was affected, shaking a few times. The fish floating in the distance, noticing this, flipped over and dived, disappearing from sight.

For two days, General Okamura didn't catch a single fish. Stay calm, stay calm. At least appear to be giving it a good time.

He silently watched the fish snorkeling in the distance, but they refused to bite. Then he consciously placed his hand on the radio switch. The "Denden-5" radio, a top-of-the-line Japanese-made and internationally available radio, began to emit a classically charming sound.

My fellow soldiers still serving in the Japanese military, what kind of future do we want to bring to Japan and the Japanese people? Is it a country that burns, kills, and plunders abroad, while at home allowing our children to starve to death and our wives to degenerate? Or is it a country that can work hand in hand with its neighbors for development, where our children can go to school and our wives can eat white rice in peace?

Tsk, it's the "Voice of Fushi" of the Communist Army, the evil voice of the devil! Change the channel!

"About the future—no, there's no need for a future. The war has already begun, and I've already received my draft notice for the Army," Kunimi Biru said. The day before the competition, a strong premonition filled him. He said to Yaling, 'Just today, please cheer me on. Just today is enough.'"

Oh, it's "Baseball Brothers" on "Voice of the East". It's pretty good, but it conflicts with the frequencies of several local radio stations... Change the channel.

...Recently, General Apanasenko, Commander of the Akuro Far East, met with His Excellency Togo, Consul of the Far East of my country, to protest my country's violation of the treaty and inspection of Soviet merchant ships passing through the Tsugaru Strait..."

Now he felt relieved... Okamura took his hands off the radio and listened to the noisy, indistinct sound of Tokyo Broadcasting Station. His mind, as if finally finding a reason to escape, slowly relaxed. Apanasenko, hey... now showing up, hey, this country of Chilu, despite signing a non-aggression treaty with our country, is still in cahoots with the Communist army...

As he relaxed, Okamura Yasuji felt sleepiness slowly rising up and gradually overflowing from his brain. The fatigue and anxiety during this period were like a rising tide, drowning his spirit and stripping away his consciousness.

"Sir, the latest intelligence is that the Communist Army in Shandong Province has launched an attack on the Weihai Eastern Army. The Communist Army in northern Jiangsu has also been cut off... Oh, oh, I see. I am sorry for being so presumptuous. This is indeed not our army's business. I shouldn't have disturbed the general's rest..."

In the dim distance, the voices of the messenger and the adjutant were heard, but Okamura Yasuji didn't care - it's okay, they are all decoys, the Communist Army's mechanized army, the Shandong Army, and the New Fourth Army of Jiangsu Province are all decoys, no need to worry... What he needs to pay attention to is just their real main force.

Yes, I have to be patient and wait for their real main force to appear.

Chapter 787: Offensive Clouds (1) Putting Away Fantasy

(Update)

"Ah, ah? Ah! Where is this?! I want to go to Jinling, I want to go to Jinling!" Damn it! You guy, you are actually a communist, I want to..."

"Come on, you idiot! Come out!"

Just as Zhang Lanfeng, who was escaping by land, could not resist the interrogation at the militia guerrilla checkpoint, opened fire and killed people, and fled before being caught up by cavalry and beheaded; the Type 95 trainer plane that Sun Liangcheng was riding in successfully crossed the Communist Party's air defense zone, and then... landed smoothly at the front-line airport in Luoyang.

After all, he was an underground Party member recruited from the Wang Puppet Air Force. He had diligently studied and practiced, and possessed superb flying skills. It was only natural that he was dispatched to carry out such a critical mission at this time. To accomplish this mission, the underground Party organization in Jinling not only evacuated the young man's family in advance but also arranged a series of plans, including "forced landing due to aircraft failure" and "parachuting due to lost aircraft," allowing the Party member to adapt to the situation and make his own choices, ensuring the executor's confidence and the plan's success.

The only surprise was that the Eighth Route Army did not expect that the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, which was escorting Zhang Lanfeng, would actually dare to directly fire at the guerrillas and militias on the front line, so that he was chased and

The patrol cavalry that came up chopped off his head cleanly and efficiently, so he could not stand trial.

It is indeed a pity.

However, in the North China Campaign, a pivotal event in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and even the global anti-fascist war, the deaths of individual puppet army generals and government officials were not considered crucial milestones. But objectively speaking, the deaths of these two prominent traitors marked the official end of the North China Campaign's "opening," ushering in the next phase.

The first to take action were the Japanese army.

As the fighting in Henan Province raged, Okamura Yasuji, already deceived so many times that he had to grow suspicious, did not immediately mobilize his troops to reinforce the south along the Pinghan Line. Already somewhat neurotic, he had to consider a possibility: Was the Eighth Route Army deceiving him, then waiting to launch the main attack from elsewhere?

After all, the Eighth Route Army, which was estimated to have a million main combat troops and could deploy at least 50 people in a single battle, only attacked the seemingly less critical Henan Province... After analyzing the situation, Okamura Yasuji and his staff felt that it was really inconsistent with Zhu and Mao's "full of bizarre and unexpected" thinking style.

Therefore, the ones in Henan Province must not be the main attack!

Okamura Yasuji silently accepted the reality of the complete loss of one division, the severe damage to another, and the loss of approximately 100,000 Imperial Army troops. He simply instructed Iimura Jō, who was in charge of the frontline command, to redeploy the (Newly Formed) 83rd Division, which was defending the Eighth Route Army around Shimen, southward to reinforce the defense line around Qixian, Puyang, Hebi, Ji, and Tangyin. At the same time, Okamura instructed the (Newly Formed) 80th, 82nd, 85th, and 87th Divisions, which were actively engaged in suppressing the "Hebei-Eastern Base Area," to cease their "security rectification" work there and to pack up their equipment in preparation for further orders.

他打算让原本驻扎唐山地区的85师团担负起津门碣石岛段铁路的防卫工作，然后令80师团驻扎北平进行防卫--这样，他的手中就能握有原本驻屯北平的关东军第14师团、第82师团和87师团三个师团的机动兵力。

"However...there may not be enough troops around Shimen."

With the 83rd Division near Shimen being transferred south for reinforcement, Okamura Neiji, confident that the main Eighth Route Army force would launch a "main attack" from Zhangyuan or the Zhengtai Line, naturally began to consider further reinforcements. However, having long battled with the Eighth Route Army, Okamura finally resisted the temptation to soothe his anxiety.

He decided to temporarily place the newly formed 82nd and 87th Divisions around Qingyuan, so that they could either defend Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, or move south along the railway; and the Kwantung Army's 14th Division, which had the strongest combat power and the most complete manpower, must be firmly held in his hands as the final "reserve" of the entire battle.

"Okay, now I've played all my cards, Communist Army, what will you do next?" Okamura Neiji muttered to himself, repeating nervously. "What will you do?"

What would the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army do?

If Liu Mingzhao, Yang Jisheng, 101, Chen, Su and others who were commanding the battle knew that Okamura Ningci was waiting with his legs together, playing Go,

If the Eighth Route Army "makes a move in the next round", then they will definitely look at each other for a few seconds, and then release

Laugh out loud.

At the end, Yang Jisheng might even go up and touch Okamura Yasuji's bald head, sighing regretfully while shaking his head - although the battlefield is like a chess game, who can guarantee that the two sides on the battlefield will always be able to make their own moves according to their turns in an "equal duel"?

It's like two gamblers holding pistols and shooting at each other at the gambling table. The one with the advantage is always the one who has more live bullets in the chamber, can act first, and can fire 5 shots in a round.

The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, having accumulated years of industrial and military construction, stockpiled vast quantities of battle supplies, and conducted numerous simulations and exercises, unleashed a terrifying force when they coordinated the actions of nearly all the soldiers and civilians in their base areas. This force completely surpassed the limits of Okamura Yasuji's imagination!

Henan Province, Shandong Province, the offensive on the waterways and railways... Even though due to objective conditions, the scale of the troops that each base area can mobilize is slightly different

But in these directions, the Japanese army suffered without exception from the people's army.

The "main attack"!

In early March 1943, when Yang Jisheng's Mobile Corps and the subsequent Central Plains Field Army, as well as the 3th Division of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area moving north from the south, joined forces, the Eighth Route Army's infrastructure engineering corps had already entered the construction site of the Zhengxian Iron Bridge.

A large number of 50-ton and 25-ton Yellow River flat-bottomed boats, loaded with Bailey beams, steel plates, and cement, began to cross the Yellow River from Luoyi and Fenglingdu to the construction site of the railway bridge. The Longhai Railway, which had been damaged by the Japanese army, had been repaired piecemeal by automatic track-laying vehicles. Large bulldozers, cranes, and concrete mixing equipment began to enter Zhengxian along the railway. At the same time, 85mm anti-aircraft guns from the Soviet Union

The 40mm Bofors from the United States and the domestically produced 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine guns were used in the Yellow River.

A basic anti-aircraft firepower network was set up on both sides of the river to protect the construction soldiers who were carrying out bridge construction.

The bridge deck that was damaged by the Japanese army was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On the vast plains of the middle and lower Yangtze River, the once-friendly New Fourth Army deployed "tax inspection boats" equipped with outboard motors and automatic guns, and deployed direct-fire fire along the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal. The Japanese and puppet army's small steamers and barges, which had previously been allowed to pass harmlessly by paying "anti-Japanese donations" and "anti-Japanese military taxes," were now completely unable to cross the New Fourth Army-controlled areas.

The vast majority of Wang Puppet Army's transport teams chose to protect themselves and informed the suddenly rising Fourth Master in order to seek "a way out". A few diehards, while howling "Fuck you, you bunch of red-heads, you take the money and don't do the job... Gululululu", sank into the river along with the Japanese troops or Asia Development Institute staff who were escorting them, or were crushed by 14.5mm machine guns, 23mm rapid-fire cannons, TBD-1A air-launched rockets and bombs.

Finally, the comrades of the New Fourth Army also said that the 457mm aerial torpedoes (18:00) given by the Central Committee were too expensive and were completely useless against such a situation.

As for Shandong Province, the scale of the battle was far greater than Okamura Yasuji had expected.

在威海的日军第54师团（前独混5)及关东军8师团一部遭到了两个鲁省野战师师级单位的猛击，先前在荣成战斗中出现过的'M12A1机动岸炮'再度登场，对着仅有75毫米山野炮的日军发起了猛烈炮击。

Because two battalions of the 35th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Division that was originally scheduled to reinforce this place had already been lost, and the remaining battalion and attached units were unable to provide timely support under the threat of our air force, the Japanese army, with a strength of only more than a thousand people, tried their best to resist, but still completely defeated after fighting hard - this time, the comrades in Shandong Province took out the flamethrowers supported by the rear base, and burned all the stubbornly resisting Japanese troops into familiar faces.

The approximately 2,000 Japanese reinforcements from Fushan and Yantai were delayed and blocked by another brigade-level field army unit with reinforced artillery, as well as local troops and guerrillas. Ultimately, they could only watch their allies scream in agony as they were utterly crushed. But they didn't even have time to mourn for long. With only a few hundred Japanese troops left in Weihai escaping to Liugong Island, the freed-up Shandong Province Field Army turned to deal with them.

"In the current situation, not to mention the Communist Army's operations in Central China to destroy water transport and railways, the Communist Army's offensive on the Jiaodong Peninsula in Shandong Province seems fierce.

But in reality, it is not the deciding factor in the battle..."

It was another day without any fish. Okamura Neiji, who was hiding in Sanhe County, handed over the fishing gear and empty net bag to his adjutant after receiving the report from the Type 100 reconnaissance aircraft of the aerial reconnaissance unit that the Zheng County Iron Bridge seemed to have been repaired, and prepared to return to his residence for dinner.

"Right now, the Communist army is attacking everywhere with great fanfare. They must be trying to confuse us, force us to rush to the rescue, and disrupt our assessment of their main force, thereby concealing the direction of their attack."

He rubbed his chin as he walked toward his car. However, at that moment, a military Mazda arrived at Okamura's fishing spot. Seeing the commander approaching, the driver of the Mazda suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt.

The messenger sitting in the sidecar rushed out, rushing over in two steps. Without waiting to catch his breath, he eagerly bowed to Okamura and handed him a telegram.

"Your Excellency, Commander!

"Ren Bingtuan (12th Army) Headquarters Urgent Report! The Communist Army's main force from Shandong Province, exceeding 10 men, has appeared near Yanzhou!"

"32nd Division of the Cui Army Corps) Emergency! From the location where the telegram was sent, Yanzhou, Qufu, Jining, Zoucheng...are all under attack by the Communist Army!"

Chapter 788: Offensive Cloud (⑵) Section Closure

Yanzhou, as a place name recorded in "Shangshu Yugong", has existed in the Central Plains for thousands of years; at the same time, as the origin of an administrative division, it can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty, and has a history of more than 2,000 years.

During the Republican era, although the Grand Canal, once the gateway connecting eastern China from north to south, had been interrupted and silted up in places, Yanzhou and its surrounding counties and cities remained crucial as the Jinpu Railway passed through. Furthermore, in 1943, it held irreplaceable value as the crucial "southern gate" of Japan's 12th Army's city defense system.

After all, as the southern gate of Quancheng, with the roads to the north, west and east blocked by the Eighth Route Army, the entire 12th Army could only communicate with the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Central China via the Jinpu Road. This place was in every sense the "lifeline of the 12th Army" and their last "retreat"!

So now, Mr. Okamura Yasuji, do you support it or not?

The 12th Army Headquarters, in a gesture of respect, declares: The Communist Army's attack on the six counties of Yanzhou, Qufu, Jining, Zoucheng, Juye, and Jiaxiang is undoubtedly intended to cut off our southward advance. If successful, they could not only encircle our Corps but also attack our allies westward along the Heze and Xinxiang lines, flank them, and exacerbate the already precarious situation, making it difficult to sustain...

"The 101st Communist leader from Shandong Province, along with the Communist troops from Hebei, Shandong, and Henan, and the Communist troops from northern Jiangsu, has gathered a force of 100,000 and has already launched an offensive. Therefore, the main attack direction of the Communist army must be here. We believe that after presumptuously seizing Yanzhou, the Communist army will march north to attack Quancheng."

Compared to Okamura Yasuji, who neurotically repeated that "this is definitely not the main attack direction of the Communist Army", and repeatedly doubted whether the current situation was a "suspicious attack by the Eighth Route Army", Lieutenant General Kita Seiichi, commander of the 12th Army hiding in Quancheng, had no time to think so much.