Canteen System Assistance Notes

At that time, Okamura Yasuji suddenly became very calm. He elegantly adjusted his white shirt, buttoned the top button, and straightened his slightly crooked collar. Then, he pulled the samurai sword on the table in front of him and took out a bowl scroll with the rising sun and the words "must win" from the drawer.

Okamura Neiji tied the bowl scroll to his head. He grabbed the katana from the table with one hand and unsheathed it with the other. With a "clang!" sound, the old man took a deep breath and shouted in a tone filled with anger, rage, and even madness:

"Get out of here! Iimura Joi!"

He changes his mood as abruptly as flipping a switch, and formulates his tone as smoothly as drinking water or eating.

The next second, the commander strode forward, kicked open the office door, and rushed to the command room in full view of everyone.

"We are the soldiers of His Majesty the Emperor! We should display the divine spirit of war, proclaim the might and virtue of the Imperial Nation, and be supported by the Imperial Will. However, the Communist Red Army in North China not only defies the righteousness of the Imperial Army, but even betrays the spirit of the Yellow People, joining the arms of the British and American beasts, hindering the Imperial Nation's expansion of power and the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere!"

Okamura Neiji jumped onto the table and shouted loudly.

"The communist bandits are like rats, weak as ants and pythons. Even with the help of external forces, they are still violating the will of heaven and cannot last long! As soldiers of the Imperial Nation, facing the current situation, we should be even more awe-inspiring and resolute in crushing the enemy!"

He brandished his sword, emphasizing each word. Then, Okamura Neiji began to recite the "Battle Training".

"The gods above have bestowed upon us divine light to illuminate us! We should purify our minds and cultivate our bodies and minds, offering them special and sincere respect, and always maintaining a sense of loyalty and filial piety in our hearts, so as not to be unworthy of the gods' blessings!"

"Loyalty and filial piety are the essence of our country's morality and ethics. A loyal person must also be a filial son who pays special attention to feelings..."

His emotions were rich, his eyes were passionate, and his tone was sincere, like an actor immersed in a play. Soon, Chief of Staff Ando Jujusan and Deputy Chief of Staff Nakanishi Maki also joined in, and everyone in the command room began to chant the second part of "Battle Training" in unison.

"...Integrity and self-discipline are what enable warriors to establish integrity. If one cannot control oneself and is instead swayed by material desires, how can one sacrifice one's life for the country? One must strictly adhere to one's own principles. Handle all matters impartially. One must ensure that one's actions are worthy of heaven and earth!"

The pessimistic and tense atmosphere in the command room gradually dissipated, but was replaced by fanaticism.

"I am worthy of heaven and earth! I am worthy of His Majesty the Emperor! I am worthy of the people of the Imperial Nation!"

They shouted frantically, some even pulled out bowls and tied them on their heads, while more began to worship from afar. Although Tokyo was southeast of Mikawa County, some faced northeast, some east, and some northwest, as if they were bowing to some indescribable existence.

Iimura Jang was the only one present who did not move. He stood there in a daze, the words that he wanted to blurt out were choked in his throat. He only felt that something in his mind was trampled upon.

"...We will wield our honed combat skills and the resolve to die bravely! We will fight with all our might to defeat the enemy! The outcome of this war is directly related to the prosperity or decline of the Japanese nation. We must remember the sacred duty of the Imperial Army, a nation woven through its unwavering history of victory. We will not rest until we have achieved victory!"

Okamura Neiji swung the samurai sword that represented the command of the North China Army down hard, actually cutting off a corner of the command table. He shouted:

"Anda! Nakanishi!"

"Sir! I'm here!" "Yes!"

"Formulate a comprehensive plan, lead the entire North China Army, depart from Qingyuan, and attack southward!

"Let's launch a decisive battle against the main force of the Communist Army! Attack! Attack! Attack!!"

Even now, recalling these words, Iimura Jō could still feel the bone-chilling chill in the sweltering command room. He knew that the current capabilities of the Japanese Army in North China, even with the 12th Army, were completely incapable of engaging in a decisive battle with the Communist Army, which was at its peak strength. Considering the Communist commanders Zhu, Mao, Liu, and He's habit of maintaining reserves, even up to this point, the North China Army might not even be able to "enjoy" the enemy's "full force"!

"Sir, please wait..." At that time, Iimura Joi opened his mouth to speak.

He wanted to calm the "angry commander" and stop this decision that would inevitably destroy all the remaining troops of the North China Army.

Preserve the remaining forces and retreat into (pseudo) Manchuria. Although this retreat will inevitably be unsuccessful, with the loss of a large number of manpower and the commander bearing the brunt of criticism and criticism, as long as the backbone of the troops remains, it is inevitable that they will be able to fight back and achieve final victory...

"Iimura Joi."

Okamura Neiji, holding his command knife, turned around and said slowly and firmly: "Return to your headquarters, take your soldiers, and prepare for the final, decisive battle for a perfect victory!"

"Sir, the latest news. Just now, the Yodo Corps (4th Division) reported that their regular outposts haven't communicated in over six hours, and the maintenance soldiers who went to check the communication lines haven't responded in over three hours."

"Ah, okay."

Iimura Joi took the information handed to him by Chief of Staff Matsuda Iwao and turned to look at the map hanging in the carriage. He touched his chin, thought for a moment, and asked, "What is the situation of the Corps (66th Division, formerly the 15th Independent Mixed Division) that is with the Yodo Corps?"

Both units are deployed near Zhangyuan. If the 4th Division encounters the enemy... "Hey, I asked about that too."

Matsuda Iwao, clearly the kind of chief of staff who finds work to do on his own, responded fluently, "The Su Corps hadn't previously deployed forward troops to maintain security like the Yodo Corps. However, their patrol twelve hours ago found nothing unusual. I've just ordered a search detachment to conduct a reconnaissance operation overnight."

"Okay, you did a good job..." Iimura Joi sighed.

In the initial battle plan, the Zhangyuan area was the most likely offensive route for the Communist Army to launch a "decapitation operation". As a result, the Communist Army has been fighting in northern Henan and southern Hebei for more than two weeks before taking any action here. It is indeed a waste of manpower - but people cannot offer sacrifices after the festival. If I had advised Mr. Okamura to pay attention to the south at that time, would the Communist Army choose to launch an attack here? This is obviously not something that can be discussed.

"Matsuda-kun, please report this matter to Lord Okamura. I'll take a break first."

He looked out at the bright moon and instructed Matsuda Iwao, "If there's any news from the Yu Corps and the Yodo Corps, wake me up."

"Hi."

During such a long night, a Japanese military train was running on the still safe northern section of the Pinghan Railway.

Most of the people on the bus had no idea of ​​the fate they would face, and those who knew about it could only fall into a deep sleep in anxiety.

But on the 16th day of the lunar calendar, the moon was bright. Somewhere southwest of this train, at a railway station controlled by the Eighth Route Army, several soldiers, under the direction of a technical officer, erected a long radio frequency antenna. Then, at a specific moment, they deployed a massive open-air communication board covered in LED light strips.

"Ganjiang 02, visual contact board in sight, radio signal clear, accurate position, over."

"Chengying 01 received, wish you all the best." The roar of an engine swept across the sky.

Chapter 817 The Long Night (Part 2)

On full-moon nights, moonlight clung to tables and curtains like dust, trains seemed to glide across silver fields, and fighter planes seemed to sail on sparkling lakes.

Iimura Jo, who relied on sleeping pills to barely fall asleep in anxiety, fell into a nightmare, and the nightmare was filled with red moonlight.

He recalled how he was reprimanded and ostracized in Tokyo, where he was sent to be a staff officer simply for telling the truth about the deduction results. He recalled how Lord Okamura Yasuji used his connections to rescue him from the suffocating atmosphere and allow him to come to North China to continue his research. He recalled how he relied on the army's intelligence system in North China and, with the support of the commander, used his talents to conduct "combat power research" day and night.

He also recalled the shock and disappointment he felt when he saw the initial calculation results.

Why, how could I lose?

When did the situation in North China become so bad? When I read the war reports before, wasn't the situation still good?

Unlike his straightforward and pragmatic approach when simulating the war against Mi, Iimura Mamoru began to look for arguments that did not support this conclusion, began to look for reasons with a preconceived viewpoint, began to mobilize his own resources and abilities, and tried his best to change the calculation results that were still on paper at the time - but everything went against his wishes.

Retreat began to seem more and more reasonable. Iimura Joi began to try to persuade His Excellency Okamura Yasuji to conduct retreats of varying sizes, or rather, "turnarounds"—but he did not believe that the Imperial Army had failed.

How could the Imperial Army lose to a sickly China? How could the Imperial Army lose, and lose so completely, as if the earth were collapsing? Losing to the United States is one thing, but China...why? The Chinese...why?

Having studied abroad, served as a military attaché, and previously headed the European and American intelligence section, the broad-minded yet short-sighted Iimura Joi couldn't comprehend, much less convince himself to accept, this fact, which he had calculated so thoroughly. All his calculations and schemes were geared towards the Empire's victory, or at least victory in China. Otherwise, regardless of how the war would unfold, the internal conflict within Iimura Joi would be enough to torment him to death.

So, when faced with Okamura Yasuji's "final battle" strategy, which was almost like Nogi Maresuke's, he did not support it, did not understand it, and did not comprehend it. Where had the wise and calm commander of the past gone? Why did this happen?

In the comfortable officer's compartment, Iimura Joi struggled with a dream filled with contradictory thoughts. Under the silver yet blood-red moonlight, his breathing became rapid and he tossed and turned. Even under the powerful barbiturate sleeping pills, he could not fall into a truly peaceful deep sleep, until...

…until a sharp sound pierced the air across the night.

A formation consisting of the Eighth Route Army's versions of "Anson" and "Mitchell" soared along the Pinghan Railway in the night sky.

Compared with the P70 (modified DB7A20) night fighter equipped with interception radar, the two twin-engine bombers in this formation are not equipped with advanced detection equipment with future technology, but they have a navigation and command system that can rely on ground stations for positioning, and have the ability to navigate and fly at night.

They have different missions from the night combat formations.

With the support of intelligence from Japanese intelligence agencies, railway workers' guards, guerrillas, and underground party organizations, the night attack formation code-named "Ganjiang" was able to obtain the operating schedule of Japanese military trains on the Pinghan Railway. It was even able to accurately determine the time when a key military train would pass through a specific section through the "window period" and telegram deciphering.

A special train with absolutely no Chinese people on board, operated entirely by Japanese national railway employees.

"Unusual infrared signal detected."

The Anson patrol aircraft, the "Ganjiang 01," with its limited payload capacity but long range, issued a notice. The co-pilot shifted his gaze from the PPI display, which displayed infrared detection signals, to another device: a square paper map embedded in it. Two horizontal and vertical steel wires crossed the map, moving slowly under a purely mechanical mechanism, marking the aircraft's current position based on the identified radio ground beacon.

"We're now 55 kilometers southwest of Gaobeidian, and the railway is in sight!" After observing out the porthole for a while in the moonlight, he gave further instructions on the voice console, "Ganjiang 03, Ganjiang 05, open the magazine!"

"Gan Jiang 03, Gan Jiang 05, open the magazine."

The B-25 Mitchells, codenamed 03 and 05, immediately opened their magazines as ordered. Within, several missiles resembling the "Blackeye" series of television-guided bombs emerged. However, if one could observe through the glass coating on the warheads, one would have seen that they were not the same type of equipment as the "Blackeye" missiles, which were equipped with image transmission cameras.

One second after the warhead was exposed to the violent airflow, electric current was injected into the warhead along the pre-placed wires, quickly completing the self-test.

The pilot's earphones quickly heard intermittent beeps indicating that the onboard equipment was starting to work. He immediately kept the aircraft's attitude stable and waited for the gunner to determine the basic bombing direction based on the visual conditions.

Today was a full moon, and dropping this bomb would not require the Anson, responsible for navigation and reconnaissance, to rush over the target and drop flares: this was crucial for attacking a moving target.

"Ganjiang 01, 'Red Heron' has powered up and locked onto the target. My co-pilot has visually observed the sparks in the smoke column, and the basic bombing data has been input!"

"Ganjiang 03, Ganjiang 05, drop the bomb when you're ready!"

"clear!"

At 3:25:05 in the morning, Iimura Joi, who had just slept for a few hours, was awakened by his attendant. According to Iimura Joi's previous arrangements, he brought an emergency situation.

3点25分06秒，两枚250公斤的“红鹭250”制导炸弹离开B-25的挂架，朝着奔驰的专车奔去。

At 25 minutes and 10 seconds, Iimura Joi finished listening to the basic situation reported by the aide-de-camp, and he frowned - from before he went to bed until now, all the calls from the special train to the North China Army Command in Sanhe County were "rejected": the North China Army Command did not return any information, and the radio call sign completely disappeared.

At 25 minutes and 11 seconds, the Red Heron 250 bomb maintained its basic posture while falling at high speed. In this attack, it did not have folding wings that could extend its range, but the winglets on the bomb body still provided it with a certain amount of lift, allowing it to aim at the railroad tracks and fly towards the target area.

After a brief 20-second thought, Iimura decided to order the signalman to maintain contact and at the same time contact the North China Army intelligence agency still stationed in Peking, making preparations for both scenarios. However, just as he was about to speak, the door of the carriage was knocked open by another intelligence officer beside him.

At 21 seconds, the accuracy of the bombing in the dark night was indeed poor. The Honglu 250 bomb, distorted by the air currents, deviated from the speeding train. However, there was something "wrong" with these two bombs, which were about to touch the ground. The rapidly rotating prism inside the warhead and the high-speed infrared sensor behind it—sometimes ago, it was a high-refresh optical mouse—provided instructions to the electromechanical circuits behind it, driving the wings and causing the missile to begin to turn.

It was aimed at the locomotive, which was emitting high-temperature smoke and infrared rays.

1943年3月22日陵城3点25分26秒，饭村穰听到了一声尖锐的爆鸣。这声爆鸣很轻却又很响，像是从极远处飞来，却又在极近处发生。

A blinding explosion and flames drowned out the moonlight, and then he found himself flying.

Boom!

Chapter 818 The Long Night (Part 2)

(3K7 update)

The importance the Japanese attached to the special train meant that during this period, only Iimura Jo's train was running in the Pinghan Railway section. Its crew was composed entirely of "iron-blooded imperial subjects" of the Japanese National Railways, which freed the Eighth Route Army from any last concerns about "decapitation" (usually, drivers, firemen, coal workers and other crew members on domestic trains were mostly members of peripheral organizations of the party organization, and the Eighth Route Army would try its best to avoid accidental injuries), and they acted swiftly and ruthlessly.

Under attack from two 250kg infrared guided missiles, the "Mikado" locomotive was struck directly by two heavy bombs, sending it flying off the tracks at the moment of the explosion. Subsequently, the train's carriages, having lost their traction, slammed into the wreckage of the locomotive, which had been stopped by the powerful brakes, and flipped over onto the tracks.

Pain, dizziness, and a nauseous feeling gripped Iimura Jō. He felt his arm being squeezed by some huge force, making a crisp breaking sound.

“Aa ...

He screamed involuntarily, but then a strong impact came from the back of his head and he fainted.

Chaos engulfed Iimura Joi, and all the noise around him quickly faded away. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't make any move, and couldn't suppress the fear spreading in his mind. It was like he was thrown into an icy lake, sinking towards the abyss of death.

He tried to be angry, but it was no use; he tried to beg some unknown being, but it was still no use.

"Enemy attack—!" "Bang, bang, bang, boom, boom!" ...Baga, leave the commander! That's a bird! Save the commander!"

Until the people around reacted and rushed to rescue the commander who had been thrown out of the car. The panicked adjutant hugged Iimura Jo and shook him hard, then said "I'm sorry" and started to hit him left and right, making a loud noise.

Fortunately, Iimura Jo was not seriously injured; the broken arm wasn't fatal. After the military doctor pulled the adjutant away and gave him some smelling salts, the lieutenant general slowly regained consciousness.

"What's going on now?"

It was a pointless question, but Iimura Joi needed some time to recover. He sat on a box that had been blown away, breathing heavily and trying to get his mind working again.

"Sir, we were attacked by the Communists at night. The train has derailed, and all units have suffered heavy losses. A preliminary count shows over half the personnel injured, with 12 seriously injured and unable to be treated," the bloodstained staff officer reported. "And..."

The staff officer stood at attention, suppressing the fear in his voice. "Also, Chief of Staff Matsuda... has unfortunately been killed in action."

what……

Iimura Jō's heart seemed to twitch. He turned to look at the guard on the other side who was covering the corpse with a sheet. He was about to sigh when he heard gunshots from the side - it seemed that the Communist Army's accurate air strike on a moving train at night was too horrifying. The people in several armored carriages were already in a state of frightened birds. They were desperately firing at targets that they didn't know whether they existed in the night sky.

"You idiot! Tell them to cease fire! If the Communist planes are still there, we'll be bombed again!"

Iimura was furious and immediately rushed his staff to stop the frightened guards. By this time, the military doctor who had come running had already given Iimura a painkiller and fixed his broken hand. He struggled to his feet and issued a new order:

"We're almost at Qingyuan. The train station ahead isn't far from us! They'll definitely send people over when they see the explosion. Don't be afraid! Don't run! Get away from the train immediately and hide in the surrounding fields. Those who can still move should help those who can't. Don't get caught by the Communist bombers again!"

The small team of about sixty people left began to move slowly. They supported, carried or lifted some injured people and slowly left the burning train and walked some distance to avoid possible returning planes.

They had to leave the scene, but they didn't dare go too far.

Because in the wilderness, even with a full moon, human vision is still greatly limited. Once the two conditions of "dark night" and "wild countryside" are met, a terrifying creature called "guerrilla" may appear in the void and randomly take people's lives.

The Japanese military headquarters wasn't large, and Iimura Jo could see the dozen or so people there from start to finish. They were all his colleagues and subordinates, people he knew well, but now he only saw a group of frustrated, cowering, pessimistic, and desperate people dragging themselves forward in the darkness, as if they were marching towards death.

He finally figured something out.

"Stay here, don't go too far." Iimura Jo ordered.

Next to a half-collapsed straw hut, he began to clean up the situation. Iimura Joi ordered the remaining guards to form two small teams and advance along the railway to either side, hoping to quickly contact the railway personnel who were coming to support them, or perhaps even request assistance from them. He instructed the few remaining telegraph operators to repair the radio and send a message to the Seventh Army's rear headquarters in Qingyuan to learn about the current situation and order them to dispatch a search team as soon as possible. He instructed the military doctor to ignore himself and several senior staff officers who had only suffered minor injuries, and to quickly assist the ordinary staff officers and service personnel whose carriages were closer to the front and who had suffered more serious injuries.

"Yoshida." Iimura Joi sighed and called out to his deputy chief of staff. Now that his chief of staff had died, he was now in charge of the entire staff. "Come here."

"Your Excellency..." Yoshida, the Deputy Chief of Staff, was only a colonel and not a man with much experience in government. He had no idea what was going to happen and could only offer words of comfort. "Your Excellency, please do not worry. No matter what happens, the Imperial Army will surely turn danger into fortune and defeat the enemy."

"Okay, don't say any more."

Iimura Joi didn't pay any attention. He said briefly, "Lord Okamura has assigned the Teru Corps (14th Division of the Kwantung Army) to us. This is the last remaining mobile force under the North China Army. Without considering backup, we only have the combat power of three divisions and an independent mecha detachment. Next, when we return to the headquarters, we must fulfill our duties as samurai."

"Hi, sir, I understand. I will assume the responsibilities of Chief of Staff Matsuda, formulate the best plan for the troops, and preserve as many blood and bones as possible for the troops, so that in the future..."

Deputy Commander Yoshida was very familiar with this and nodded in response. Before leaving for North China, Iimura and Matsuda had been ordering their staffs to formulate a plan for the North China Army to retreat in an orderly manner, survive as a group, and eventually retreat back to the border with the support of the Kwantung Army.