Chapter 702: The Thirty-eighth Division mutinied before the war
That night, more than 4,000 Japanese troops from the 16th Division were stationed in the barracks outside the city. Inside the Japanese military headquarters inside the city, a group of Japanese army officers were having a final meeting. Sun Liangcheng and Zhao Yunxiang had the opportunity to attend for the first time.
meeting.
The atmosphere at the scene was quite subtle. It was rare for the leaders of the local Japanese army in Shangqiu to speak in unison. They sat on the right hand side of the table in a friendly manner with each other. Several little Japanese officers from the 16th Division who had been sent from outside sat on the table.
On the left hand side of the table.
Sun Liangcheng and Zhao Yunxiang had arrived at the venue long ago, but they did not dare to take their seats. Even Sun Liangcheng, an old fox, had a headache at this moment, for fear of standing in the wrong line.
Logically speaking, since Araki Sadahiro and Kuroshima Morita were the immediate superiors of the appeasement army, Sun Liangcheng should naturally be on the side of the local faction.
Even though the two of them usually fought to the death, Sun Liangcheng, a lowly person, even though he had defected to Kuroshima Morita, he still looked respectful when meeting Araki Sadahiro.
Zhao Yunxiang was a good man. He noticed early on that the Japanese were not dealing with each other. The key was that it was Mitsuo Nakazawa, a Japanese military officer sent from outside, who led troops to sweep away the Eighth Route Army base areas.
"Sun Sang, the meeting is about to start, do you still want me to invite you to take a seat?" Kuroshima Morita yelled, obviously very dissatisfied with Sun Liangcheng's actions.
Zhao Yunxiang, who was standing next to him, had an idea and immediately said: "Taijun, when Commander Sun was inspecting the position the day before yesterday, he accidentally fell from a height and injured his tailbone. He was unable to sit down. Please forgive me, Taijun!"
A trace of disdain flashed in the eyes of Toshiaki Sakai, a Japanese soldier of the 16th Division on the left, and at the same time there was a hint of joking.
After hearing this, Sadahiro Araki was unwilling to give up any opportunity to win over Sun Liangcheng, and asked with great concern: "Sun Sang, you were too careless, how are you injured?"
"Please rest assured, Taijun, I can still command the 38th Division to assist the Imperial Army in fighting. All the officers and men of our 38th Division are willing to die for the Imperial Army, and are willing to shed the last drop of blood for the Empire of Japan!"
"Youxi, Sun Sang, you are extremely loyal!"
Zhao Yunxiang's idea not only resolved Sun Liangcheng's dilemma, but also temporarily brought an end to the confrontation between the two groups of Japanese officers.
The Japanese army had already made a decision on when to launch the attack and where to choose a breakthrough point. In recent days, Mitsuo Nakazawa personally led several officers to conduct reconnaissance along the old route of the Yellow River.
This meeting was led by Sadahiro Araki, in order to warn the Japanese officers of the 16th Division before the war not to underestimate the enemy.
"Mr. Zhongze, the Eighth Route Army in southwestern Shandong is not like the Tubal Army that the Imperial Army encountered in the past. The last time our brigade fought against the Eighth Route Army, the weapons and equipment of the Eighth Route Army were already as good as those of the Imperial Army. Even in terms of the number of artillery pieces,
We must be stronger than the Imperial Army, so please be careful!" Araki Sadahiro said in a sincere tone, and the Japanese officers opposite him heard a trace of sneer on their lips.
"Thank you Araki-kun for your kindness. In recent days, I have also heard about the achievements of the Eighth Route Army in the Tainan region and the Hebei, Shandong and Yu regions. Even though the weapons and equipment of the Eighth Route Army are stronger than those of the Imperial Army, I still have feelings for the warriors of the Empire of Japan.
confidence."
"The warriors of our 16th Division were fought in previous battles with the elites of the national army on the front line. Even a disciplined combat unit of the Central China Army could only end up being defeated when faced with a field regiment of our unit.
, as long as the Eighth Route Army is entangled by our troops this time, it will definitely end up being wiped out by the imperial army!" Mitsuo Nakazawa was as arrogant as ever.
The words were divided. Just as a group of little devils were having a meeting, there was a strange movement in the position of the 38th Division of the Appeasement Army on the south bank of the old Yellow River.
Li Baisheng, the deputy company commander of the Sixth Company of the Second Battalion of the Third Regiment of the Thirty-eighth Division of the Pacification Army, took advantage of the darkness to sneak out of the company headquarters behind the position. Not far away, he ran into the division's pickets head-on.
"Captain Li, it's so late, where are you going?"
"Hey, don't fucking mention it. Isn't this going to be a war? Our company commander is going to patrol the battlefield to save some guys from being lazy. Don't let the Eighth Route Army steal your home and make a joke, brother.
Our lives are great!" Li Baisheng is also an old fool, and he always talks nonsense.
"Captain Zhao is right to be worried. Go quickly. It's all thanks to you, Lao Li, for your hard work!" an officer in the lead said in greeting.
"Don't worry. When it comes to hard work, you brothers are the hardest working. You don't get much military pay and you have to patrol at night. What do I care about?" Li Baisheng said as he stepped forward and took out a pack of Tainan cigarettes.
Distributed to everyone.
"Young, what a rare item!"
"I don't know when we are going to fight the Eighth Route Army. Why are we still keeping this thing?"
When the picket team walked away, Li Baisheng spat on the ground: "Bah, you bastards are the ones with the most evil hearts. Don't let me meet you on the battlefield!"
Who is the most disliked person in the entire 38th Division? It has to be the picket team. On weekdays, these soldiers of the 38th Division do not provide military supplies or food to the Eighth Route Army. The top brass eat meat and the officers and soldiers below drink soup.
The Thirty-Eighth Division was aware of this matter, and Zhao Yunxiang couldn't control it.
But don't meet this group of pickets with evil intentions and quick hands. If you encounter them, they may confiscate supplies, and in severe cases, they may be slapped with a whip or imprisoned for several days.
Li Baisheng first walked around the position. The position of the 3rd Regiment of the 38th Division was at the lowest point. There was originally a stone bridge opposite the 6th Company, but it was blown up by the Eighth Route Army in two days.
The water level in the entire old course of the Yellow River is low and shallow, ranging from three to four hundred meters wide, to hundreds of meters narrow. If Li Baisheng wanted to cross the river, he would have to walk another two kilometers downstream.
Taking advantage of the dark clouds covering the bright moon in the sky, Li Baisheng took the opportunity to escape from his position and ran downstream along the river.
After reaching a tidal flat, Li Baisheng rolled up his trouser legs and stepped into the river with his feet. The cold water made Li Baisheng tremble: "Damn it, it's already this time, who is it?"
"Speak. If you don't speak, I'll start robbing you!" Li Baisheng reacted quickly and took out the shell gun from his waist.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "It's Brother Li, I'm Lu Quansheng, don't shoot, don't shoot!"
A familiar voice came over, and Li Baisheng looked across the way suspiciously, only to see a figure tiptoeing across the river.
"It's brother Quan Sheng. Are you coming to the river to take a bath at this late hour?"
"Aren't you, Brother Li, here too?"
One of them is the deputy company commander of the 6th company, and the other is the platoon leader of the 5th platoon of the 7th company. When they meet here, they are both thousand-year-old foxes. Who can hide the plan in their hearts?
The two looked at each other and smiled, with a hint of embarrassment in their smiles.
"Let's go together then?" Li Baisheng asked tentatively.
"It's too dark and dangerous. It's easy to get trapped in it if you're not careful. We have Brother Li to take care of us!"
Not long after, in a village not far from the forward position, this was the forward headquarters of the Southwest Shandong Military Division.
"Hello, I'm Luo Benzhong!"
"Political Commissar, soldiers from the Third Company of our regiment captured two soldiers of the Appeasement Army at the forward position. According to what they said, they came to contact our Eighth Route Army in advance, and later planned to bring their soldiers to surrender to our Eighth Route Army.
How do you think this matter should be handled?"
When Luo Benzhong heard this, a smile flashed across his usually calm face, and he immediately said: "Bring the people to the headquarters, no, the *** members and I will go to the forward position in person!"
"yes!"
Luo Benzhong hung up the phone and shouted outside the house: "Guard, call the police officer quickly!"
The headquarters had just moved forward, and Li Yunlong had just returned to the house after performing routine inspections as usual, and was about to go to bed when he heard that Luo Benzhong had come to see him in an emergency. He subconsciously thought that there was something wrong with the forward position, so he put on some clothes and hurried out of the house.
.
"Lao Luo, something happened at the front line?" Li Yunlong asked anxiously.
"It's a good thing, a huge good thing!"
When Li Yunlong figured out the cause of the matter, he immediately became overjoyed: "Great, the work we did before finally paid off, we have to go there in person!"
"Old Li, this matter is not urgent!" Luo Benzhong regained his usual composure: "First notify the superiors, and then take action. After arriving at the 42nd Regiment Headquarters, I will be responsible for meeting the surrenderers. You can take command and contact us by phone.
Every battalion and company!”
"It is certainly gratifying that the appeasement army has surrendered, but it is dark now. Don't let a good thing turn into a bad thing by then and give the enemy an opportunity!"
"I understand, leave the rest to me!"
The headquarters was not far from the forward position. It took the two of them, with their respective guards, more than ten minutes on horseback, to arrive at the forward position.
After that, the two men acted separately. Li Yunlong was responsible for contacting the troops in various positions, while Luo Benzhong personally met the surrenderers.
Li Baisheng and Lu Quansheng worked hard to cross the river, and as soon as they landed on the tidal flat on the other side, they were captured alive by the sentries posted here.
The two were afraid of being accidentally killed by the Eighth Route Army, so they claimed that they came to surrender on behalf of a large army, and that two to three thousand people would come together later.
When the sentry heard that this was not a big deal, he quickly sent someone to notify his superiors. The news was uploaded layer by layer, and finally reached the Southwest Shandong Division Headquarters.
When Luo Benzhong saw the two of them, they were being arranged to warm up by the fire in a room.
"I am Luo Benzhong, political commissar of the Southwest Shandong Military Division of the Eighth Route Army. I heard that you two came to contact our Eighth Route Army on behalf of the army to surrender?"
Li Baisheng and Lu Quansheng looked at each other, secretly regretting that they had boasted about Haikou before, but they did not expect to alert the big shots of the Eighth Route Army.
"Hello, sir, we are indeed here to surrender, and it can be regarded as a front-line stand, but now many people are still hesitant and unable to make a decision!" Li Baisheng said half-truthfully.
"It doesn't matter, you can count as many people as you can bring. The uprising before the war is a great achievement. You all know the policies of our Eighth Route Army. You two are the first rebels. The more people you bring, the greater the bounty. Use it directly.
The settlement will be settled today, the Eighth Route Army will not treat you badly!" Luo Benzhong said with a smile.
"Yes, we all understand, sir, we will go back and contact the troops and take action tonight!" Li Baisheng responded excitedly.
Luo Benzhong looked at the time, eleven fifteen, and then said: "Without further ado, I will notify the soldiers in the positions along the line to pick you up, but be careful to avoid misunderstandings. After landing on the beach, take the initiative to put down your weapons and listen to us.
Arranged by someone!”
"understand!"
On the same day, the two men returned to their respective companies. Several company and platoon leaders had been waiting anxiously for a long time. When they heard that the Eighth Route Army had agreed to surrender, they couldn't help but be overjoyed.
Considering the bounty issue, after the two company commanders of the Appeasement Army secretly assembled their troops, they sent several confidants to contact other surrounding Appeasement Army units.
"Quick, speed up the march, don't let the guys from the seventh company take the lead!"
The two groups of people rushed to the crossing point, but they met again at the crossing. This time, neither group said hello, and just sluggishly crossed the river.
The movements of these two groups of appeasement troops quickly attracted the attention of other appeasement army troops, and soon they received news that they were surrendering to the Eighth Route Army on the opposite side.
"Company commander, what should we do? Should we report to the peak, or..."
"Damn it, you're still a step too late. If you had known better, you shouldn't have hesitated. Quickly notify the brothers to assemble. Later, the regiment headquarters and division headquarters will have received the news. By then it will be too late to run away!"
Immediately afterwards, the troops of the 3rd and 4th regiments of the 38th Division of the Appeasement Army stationed at the forefront seemed to be affected by a chain reaction, ranging from hundreds to dozens of people. The entire forward position turned into a mess, and appeasement everywhere
The soldiers rushed to the ferry near each position for fear of being late.
When the superior regiment headquarters of the Appeasement Army received the news, most of the soldiers of the Third and Fourth Regiments of the Appeasement Army fled, and several positions became unguarded.
However, Sun Liangcheng and Zhao Yunxiang were having a meeting in Shangqiu City, and the personnel on duty at the 38th Division had no choice but to call the Japs headquarters.
In Shangqiu City, under Araki Sadahiro's deliberate compliments, the atmosphere between the two groups of little devils became much more harmonious than before.
Just when Araki Sadahiro wanted to end the meeting, a Japanese officer hurriedly came over to report: "Sir, the 38th Division reported that there was a large-scale defection of the appeasement army soldiers in the forward positions!"
"Baga, how is that possible? What do the imperial soldiers on the front line do for food?" Sadahiro Araki slammed the table and roared.
Sun Liangcheng also couldn't believe the news. He never expected that the Eighth Route Army would quietly poke his roots.
"Taijun, please let me return to the front line to suppress the troops immediately, and I will take care of this matter!"
"Quick, quick, the war is coming, the morale of the army must not be disturbed!"
"Hi, please don't worry, Taijun!" Sun Liangcheng and the others hurriedly left the conference room.
After the two left, Mizuo Nakazawa, who had been watching the show, said jokingly: "Araki-kun, with all due respect, you are putting the cart before the horse. The Imperial Japanese Army actually needs a group of Chinese people to maintain the current situation!"
"However, this may be an opportunity. Maybe the Imperial Army can use this opportunity to blend in with the appeasement army, arrive at the Eighth Route Army's position silently, and then launch a surprise attack. The Eighth Route Army must be caught off guard!" Although Nakazawa Mitsuo was arrogant,
But he was keenly aware that this was a good opportunity to cross the old course of the Yellow River.
