The communication staff officer was slightly stunned by Okamura Neji's expression.
Although he lowered his head to express condolences, it was just a subconscious action. Because a lieutenant general's jade was broken, wouldn't it be abnormal if he didn't express condolences?
But in fact, the communications staff officer didn't feel much sadness. Just one lieutenant general died. How many lieutenant generals had died in North China?
What surprised him was that the enemy's methods of assassinating the lieutenant general were becoming more and more elusive.
Shelling, sniping, railway bombs, and now even hitting the lieutenant general with anti-aircraft guns...
But Your Excellency, Commander, why is the corner of your mouth slightly raised? Are you even pretending to do so?
Okamura Neiji also realized that something was wrong, calmed his expression, and asked in a deep voice: "The observation group's plane was shot down 20 kilometers northeast of Wusu Airport. Lieutenant General Hisao Fururu, was his jade broken?"
"Hi!"
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, the communications staff member replied:
"The Signal Corps has confirmed with the First Army that the plane the observation group was traveling in was shot down, and the entire observation group, including Lieutenant General Kohisao, was shattered."
"The two escorting fighter jets were also shot down!"
Okamura Neji nodded when he heard this. He felt no sadness at all, and even wanted to laugh a little.
Just be your reserve lieutenant general, why don't you compete with me for the position of commander of the North China Front?
Now that the jade is broken, do you feel comfortable?
Because of Tojo Eiji's reminder, Okamura Neiji knew the purpose of Hisao Furu's trip to North China with the observation group.
It was precisely because of this that Okamura Neji did not meet Hisao Fururu.
People came to North China to compete for the position of commander of the front army, so Okamura Neji greeted him with a smile, which the old Japanese couldn't do.
At Okamura's level, except for Tian Locust, the cabinet and other front army commanders, there are not many people who can make Okamura Neji smile.
Okamura Neji quickly walked to the map and found the location 20 kilometers northeast of Takesu Airport on the map.
After roughly calculating the time, Okamura judged that the enemy who shot down the observation group's plane had not gone very far.
The enemy who shot down the observation group's plane was most likely the new regiment of the Eighth Route Army entrenched in northwest Shanxi.
Then after the enemy completes its mission, it will retreat towards the northwest.
"Immediately order the two reconnaissance planes at Baoding Airport to take off and conduct reconnaissance along the northwest direction here to find this enemy. After discovering the enemy, notify the First Army to pursue it with all its strength!"
Neji Okamura stared at the map, pointed at the location of Purple Mountain on the map with his finger, and said to the communications staff officer.
"Hi!"
The communications staff officer lowered his head, turned and left.
Then Okamura Neiji turned around, returned to his seat, and then called the phone to ask Tanabe Moritake and Arisu Seizo to come to the office.
He sent reconnaissance planes to conduct a wave of reconnaissance and ordered the First Army to pursue them with all their strength, but it was just a show.
If an imperial lieutenant general or two major generals were torn to pieces within his jurisdiction and he didn't even act, then he would look suspicious.
Of course, no one on the North China Front dared to doubt him.
After hanging up the phone, Okamura Neiji felt a little happy. After the old devil Gu Hisao was killed, Okamura Neiji would not be dismissed from his post and would still serve as the commander of the North China Front in a short time.
As the war progressed, the Japanese army had more and more generals, but few were capable of serving as front army commanders.
Tanabe Moritake and Arisu Seizo rushed to the commander's office and heard that the observation group's plane had been shot down and that Lieutenant General Hisao Fururu was broken into pieces.
The two old devils were both horrified.
I am really afraid of what will happen.
At the same time, the two old devils also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they did not go to Taiyuan with Gu Shoufu.
Otherwise, they would both be in pieces.
…
at the same time.
Kazuki Yamamoto led a special agent team to the crash site.
After arriving at the crash site, he personally led a special agent team to launch an investigation.
The Japanese agents were very busy collecting plane wreckage and searching for bullet casings.
Li Yunlong needs to lead the transportation battalion, machine gun battalion and anti-aircraft gun battalion from Zijin Mountain to Tongpu Highway.
The car battalion then carried the machine gun battalion and anti-aircraft gun battalion back to the base area in northern Shanxi.
only.
The transport battalion carried machine guns, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition. Although it was a forced march, it did not move very fast.
The cavalrymen of the Japanese 1st Cavalry Brigade pursued them along the horse trail within a few hours.
The Japanese cavalry also knew that the New Regiment of the Eighth Route Army was not easy to mess with.
Therefore, the Japanese army sent reconnaissance cavalry to conduct reconnaissance in the front, followed far behind by a Japanese cavalry squadron, and then followed by the large force of the 1st Cavalry Brigade.
About four hours after the observation group's transport plane was shot down, the Japanese reconnaissance plane had already flown over the heads of the new regiment's soldiers.
Although the whereabouts of the transport battalion, anti-aircraft gun battalion, machine gun battalion and the two cavalry battalions of the New Regiment were discovered.
But the Japanese reconnaissance planes didn't have the guts to swoop down and attack.
The dense anti-aircraft guns and machine guns on the ground are no joke.
It can shoot down even agile fighter jets, let alone a reconnaissance plane?
The Japanese reconnaissance plane immediately informed the First Army of the ground forces of the Eighth Route Army's whereabouts.
After Major General Tadamichi Kuribayashi learned about it, he immediately led the Japanese cavalry to pursue him.
However, since it was a mountainous area, the Japanese cavalry could only pursue along the horse trails.
Not long after, the Japanese reconnaissance cavalry encountered a new regiment of cavalry.
The task of the new regiment of cavalry is to cover the retreat of the transport battalion, anti-aircraft gun battalion and machine gun battalion.
Therefore, instead of confronting the Japanese directly, they dealt with the Japanese cavalry and relied on the favorable terrain to fight and retreat.
Whether it was cavalry firepower or artillery firepower, the firepower of the new regiment's cavalry suppressed the Japanese.
Therefore, the Japanese cavalry could only fight and chase.
On the horse trail between mountain roads.
Listening to the intensive gunfire and explosions a few kilometers behind, Li Yunlong urged the soldiers to speed up their march.
"Commander, the fighting behind there is quite lively. How about we put out the machine guns and anti-aircraft guns and give the Japanese cavalry a shot, it will definitely be more lively."
Zhang Dabiao, the regimental groom, suggested to Li Yunlong with a grin.
Because Zhang Dabiao made a mistake in the last battle to attack Datong, Li Yunlong punished him by serving as a groom at the regiment headquarters for one week, leading Li Yunlong's horse.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! So, this time Zhang Dabiao also came to Purple Mountain.
Li Yunlong carefully observed the surrounding terrain.
Zhang Dabiao's idea was very tempting, but Li Yunlong still shook his head.
Although the new regiment has a full 100 machine guns and 40 anti-aircraft guns, it is very fun to use anti-aircraft guns and machine guns to defeat the cavalry, but unfortunately it is a mountainous area and it is not easy to expand.
Moreover, the Japanese cavalry are equipped with 90mm mortars. The Japanese mortars can bombard machine gun and anti-aircraft gun positions in long-range curves.
Li Yunlong looked at the map carefully, pointed and said:
"About 5 kilometers ahead is the Tongpu Highway, and about 15 kilometers further north is the Xinzhou Basin."
"After we get to the Tongpu Highway, let the car battalion pull the machine guns, anti-aircraft guns and two battalions of soldiers to the Xinzhou Basin and spread them out front."
"Then let our cavalry stand directly in front of the machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. When the Japanese cavalry charges, our cavalry will spread out from both sides."
"In this way, the Japanese cavalry will be exposed to the firepower of our 140 anti-aircraft guns."
"Hey hey hey..."
"It's a waste to use anti-aircraft firepower to fight planes. Infantry and cavalry are much more effective at fighting Japanese enemies than heavy machine guns!"
Zhang Dabiao's eyes flashed with light.
To be continued...