"Your Excellency, Commander, with all due respect, although the Imperial Army is not fighting at home, there is no need to worry at all!"
"The biggest advantage of our army is its flexible mobility. With the use of equipped wheeled trucks and half-track armored vehicles, even when it is dark, one hour is enough for reinforcements to arrive on the battlefield!"
"The battle reports reported during the day by the 132nd Regiment of the 57th Division and the 6th Regiment of the Guards Division are enough to show that although the Chinese armed forces facing the enemy are large in number, their combat effectiveness is weak!"
"Night fighting is a common method of warfare used by the Chinese people. It is not surprising. In my opinion, this time it is an opportunity to annihilate the Chinese armed forces!"
The combat staff officer who spoke was full of confidence and arrogance, and other Japanese officers in the front army headquarters did not take this night battle to heart.
"Matsugu-kun is right, this battle is a good opportunity to eliminate the Eighth Route Army on the flanks!"
"The Eighth Route Army obviously does not dare to fight our army during the day and can only harass our army through night battles!"
A group of Japanese officers were talking in a flurry, as if the Eighth Route Army could be wiped out with a wave of their hands. Yamashita Fengwen turned a deaf ear to this, his eyes were slightly closed, and he was leaning on his chair.
Staff officers play an extremely important role in the Japanese military system. All incidents are inseparable from the promotion of these staff officers. Itawara Seishiro and Ishihara Kanji are representative figures.
It's just that the Japanese army is expanding too fast now, and all staff officers with a little experience and qualifications are assigned to take on actual duties. The Kwantung Army stationed in Manchukuo is often plundered by the military department, so that the staff system is out of date.
The current staff of the Second Front Army Headquarters do not have much actual combat experience at all, but without exception, they all have an abnormal desire and impulse for war.
He did not agree with the content discussed excitedly by the staff, but he did not dampen the enthusiasm of these juniors. The lack of news at this time was good news. The worst case scenario was nothing more than sticking around and waiting for reinforcements.
The phone at the headquarters rang, and combat staff officer Matsutani ran to the phone and picked up the receiver.
"Yo Xi, it seems that this battle has been decided!"
"Nani, Niuwang Lake stronghold? What did you say?"
Song Gu's face suddenly turned pale, and his tone of voice also had a trembling tone.
"Commander, the Niuwang Lake stronghold reported that soldiers from the Guards Division appeared on the outside of the position and there were traces of the Eighth Route Army nearby!"
"What? Impossible. Even if the attacking Eighth Route Army was not wiped out, it would not have been defeated so quickly!"
"The Guards Division's military discipline is loose. Some soldiers must be timid and fearful of fighting and flee the battlefield privately. Some soldiers do not represent the situation on the entire battlefield!"
These staff officers could not believe the news coming from the Niuwang Lake stronghold, and even began to believe the authenticity of the news.
A mosquito landed on Yamashita Fengwen's face, and he slapped himself in the face in anger. Instead of swatting the mosquito to death, he continued to make noises around him, as if mocking his incompetence.
The Japs officers in the headquarters were stunned by this scene. They were too frightened to speak out, for fear that the anger would be implicated in themselves.
Matsutani finally plucked up the courage and asked, "Commander, what should we do now?"
The main task of the 132nd Regiment and the 6th Regiment is to guard against the Eighth Route Army on the flanks, but they also serve as decoys.
As the previous combat staff said, as long as the Eighth Route Army abandoned its position and took the initiative to launch a night attack, the Japanese army could use its mobility to quickly reinforce and destroy the attacking Eighth Route Army.
Yamashita Fengfumi was also unable to determine the specific situation of the current battlefield, after all, less than an hour had passed.
"Immediately contact the 132nd Wing and the 6th Wing via the radio to determine the current specific situation!"
Everyone stared at the radio until the telegraph operator stood up and reported: "Commander, the headquarters radio has lost contact with the frontline troops!"
The command headquarters became silent in an instant. Losing contact meant that all the officers and soldiers in the headquarters were shattered, or the command system was destroyed, neither of which was good news.
"Contact the radio communication vehicle of the reinforcements via radio and give up the reinforcement of the 132nd Regiment. If the situation allows, the Eighth Route Army pursuing the Guards Division has a loose formation and should decisively launch a flank attack!"
As soon as this statement came out, all the staff members in the headquarters started talking about it.
"Commander, I don't understand why the reinforcements to the 132nd Regiment should be given up. The Imperial soldiers who fought bravely should not be given up!"
After hearing this, Yamashita Fengwen turned around and said in a serious tone: "I appreciate your courage to question, but now it seems that not only do you not understand the specific situation of the Eighth Route Army, but you also do not understand the current situation of the Imperial Army!"
"Tomorrow morning, you will be serving in the front-line combat troops. Go and rest immediately!"
Since Yamashita Tobumi had determined that the Guards Division would be dispatched to lead the battle at dawn, the reinforcements sent out were personally commanded by Kojima Fumio, commander of the 57th Infantry Regiment.
The affiliated troops include the 117th Regiment of the 57th Division, a search regiment and two artillery brigades, and nearly 6,000 Japanese troops rode wheeled trucks and half-track armored vehicles for rapid reinforcements.
The radio communication vehicle undoubtedly made the Japanese army's communication on the battlefield more convenient, allowing them to communicate anytime and anywhere.
"Ok, I see!"
"Please tell Commander Yamashita that I will be more careful!"
That night, the Japanese reinforcements quickly reinforced along the railway, but after turning south, they unexpectedly encountered the 4th Regiment of the 14th Brigade.
After the two sides exchanged fire for a while, the 4th Regiment decisively retreated in the direction of the main force of the 14th Brigade.
"Sir, due to the sudden appearance of a group of Eighth Route Army cavalry, the third brigade responsible for outflanking failed to achieve success!" Adjutant Hui reported.
"Baga, it seems that the Eighth Route Army has been prepared for a long time. The commander's side attack plan will not work. Order all units to stop the pursuit!"
Fumio Kojima looked up at the vast night, feeling that the darkness around him was full of murderous intent, and then pointed at the looming stockade in the distance.
"What location is there?"
"Sir, the map says Ma Touzhai!"
"Stay here tonight!"
"Hi!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! For a moment, torches were lit outside Ma Tou Village, and several little devils riding war horses shouted loudly outside the village.
Inside the village, the bronze bell clanged as a warning, and the young men from each household gathered at the wall of the village one after another.
"It's a devil!"
"With the car lights on behind, there must be a large number of Japs following!"
All the villagers took a breath of air and looked at each other, their eyes full of panic and regret.
"The Eighth Route Army sent someone to notify us to evacuate the entire village, but you just didn't listen. What should we do now?"
"If you ask me, it was the Eighth Route Army that attracted the Japs. Before, it was nothing more than paying money and food. Now that the National Army is here, it is the same, and it is the same with the Japs and puppet troops. When the Eighth Route Army comes, why don't you pay?"
"Fuck you, you have to say that the Eighth Route Army has taken a liking to our Ma Touzhai, and you have to encourage them not to leave!"
The two young men who got into a dispute instantly struggled with each other, and a middle-aged man in the lead shouted loudly: "That's enough!"
"I was the one who finally decided to stay. I feel sorry for the villagers, and even more sorry for the ancestors who built Ma Touzhai!"
"Inform all households to prepare meals, and women and children should not leave the house!"
Matou Village is located in a mountainous area between Xiayi and Luyi. The village is built on the mountain and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The only drawback is that there is only one access road.
The local villagers have been fierce in their folk customs since ancient times. Several surrounding villages have formed fortifications to protect themselves. Together, there are about 700 armed personnel. In ancient times, it was called disobedience to Wang Hua, but now it is called joint resistance against Japan.
Zhang Lanfeng's puppet troops launched numerous encirclement and suppression campaigns without success, and finally reached an agreement. As long as taxes and grain were paid on time, the two sides would not infringe.
The Eighth Route Army went south to open up the base area in northern Anhui. Armed personnel from several other villages were gradually recruited, and villagers went down to the mountains for resettlement. Only Matou Village remained unmoved.
This mountainous area is a place where troops are hiding. The local government notified the villagers of Matouzhai to evacuate before the war, but it seems to have had no effect.
As the Japanese troops gathered in front of the mountain, with vague plans to take action, the gate of Matou Village suddenly opened, and the leader of the village walked out holding a white flag, and was quickly brought to Fumio Kojima.
"What kind of work are you doing?"
The leader bowed and was about to take out his ID from his pocket, but two Japanese soldiers pressed their guns against him.
"Taijun, I am a good citizen, and I have a good citizen certificate issued by the imperial army!"
The adjutant roughly took out the Certificate of Good Citizen, looked through it, and whispered in Fumio Kojima's ear: "Sir, the certificate issued by the Independent Fourth Infantry Brigade, I just don't know whether it is genuine or not!"
Kojima Fumio stepped on the Good Citizen Certificate under his feet and said impatiently: "The Imperial Army is tired and needs to come to your place to rest. Do you understand?"
"Taijun, I have asked people to prepare meals!"
"Yo Xi, you are doing very well, lead the way!"
Not all Japanese troops entered Matouzhai. The main force was stationed at the foot of the mountain. Except for sending a group of Japanese troops to ascertain the true situation first, only the headquarters and some officers went up the mountain.
The young men who were originally on guard on the wall of the village had been replaced by Japanese soldiers. About a hundred young men were surrounded in an open space in the village.
When the leader saw this scene, he couldn't help but panic and begged: "Taijun, we are all good people, what are you doing?"
"You are not harboring weapons. You are not a good citizen, but the Eighth Route Army is!"
The leader wanted to explain, but was immediately kicked to the ground. Groups of Japanese soldiers rushed into the stone houses in the village, drove out all the women, children and the elderly, and singled out the women.
"Taijun, you can't. We are all good citizens!" How could the leader not understand what the Japanese were thinking at the moment? He could only hold Fumio Kojima's thigh and beg hard.
Kojima Fumio failed to break away several times, and finally took out a Southern Type 14 pistol and pressed it against the leader's head: "Bagaya road!"
"boom!"
After the gunshots were fired, the leader looked up and fell to the ground, with a look of reluctance on his face.
The Japanese troops on guard on the wall of the stockade seemed to have received the signal. Several machine guns fired in the direction of Qing Zhuang, and the entire stockade instantly turned into a sea of blood.
"The flower girl will die tomorrow, and the others will all die now!"
"Sir is wise!" All the little devils said with excited expressions on their faces.
