If the Japanese want to restore their original production scale, they will not only need to invest a lot of money and equipment, and rebuild factories to start over, but they will also have to send a group of technical personnel from home, as well as all factories. Workers required.
Because the technicians they sent to the northwest steelmaking plant in Taiyuan to try to produce steel, as well as all the Japanese technicians in the occupied factories in Taiyuan City, were also wiped out by Yang Jicai. Of course, these technicians were not shot. Instead, they were all taken to the Jinsui base area and transferred to the northeast.
Although these people cannot be used by themselves, nor can they be used until the Japanese army is defeated, taking these people away can weaken the vitality of the Japanese, although this can't even be considered as peeling off the cocoons, let alone hurting them. However, in Yang Zhen's view, even if the Japanese lost some soldiers to recruit, it would still be better than sending these people back.
Determining the outcome on the battlefield is only a way to defeat the opponent. Cutting the firepower and weakening the production capacity of its factories is a way to completely defeat the opponent. Although the Japanese can barely count their abundant human resources with their current technology and technology. , don’t care too much about such a small amount of talent.
But the Thousand Miles of Long Levee was destroyed in an ant nest. Even if the Japanese cannot be completely defeated for a while, as long as the firewood is removed from the cauldron a little bit and the cocoons are peeled off patiently, this seemingly solid building of the Japanese will eventually be completely destroyed. One day, and Yang Zhen has always done everything possible to do this.
As early as the first time Yang Jicai led his team through Taiyuan, Yang Zhen issued an order to him. All Japanese intellectuals in Taiyuan City must be arrested. Even if a thousand are arrested by mistake, no one is allowed to be missed. As long as If anyone is missing, he will be the only one to ask, especially those technical personnel sent by the Japanese to the Northwest Steel Plant, none of them are allowed to stay.
However, in a short period of time, it was really difficult to tell whether the Japanese were intellectuals, ordinary businessmen, or gang members who came to China to hang out. Yang Jicai had no intention of identifying them, so he simply did not do it. Without stopping, they captured all the Japanese in the city, no matter men, women, old or young, as long as they did not escape into the First Army Headquarters.
The eldest brother told him to drain the fire, so Yang Jicai simply came to eradicate the roots. Yang Jicai took away not only the technicians sent by the Japanese army to various factories, but also the businessmen who followed the army who took the opportunity to make war fortunes, and the ronin of the Black Dragon Society. He took it away.
And Yang Jicai did so thoroughly in Taiyuan City that before he left, even the roads around the First Army Headquarters were completely blown up by him. After this battle, Taiyuan City was destroyed ten years later. Even the city failed to recover. In the words of Yoshimoto Teiichi, the entire Taiyuan City has been completely de-industrialized and turned into an authentic agricultural city.
If its strategic location were not too important, it would actually no longer be able to serve as the headquarters of the First Army. But now that northern Shanxi has been lost, if Taiyuan were to be given up again, Shanxi as a whole would no longer be able to hold on to it, especially if it was still roughly The intact Nan-Tong-Pu and Bai-Jin railways were crucial for the Japanese army to maintain their situation in Shanxi.
After the war, the Japanese army only restored the Beitongpu and Shotai railways, which took a whole year. The bombers of the Anti-Japanese Alliance were not the 18th Army that did not even have explosives during the Hundred Regiments War. The bombers on the entire Shotai Railway Almost all bridges and tunnels were blown up. Although the Duanjialing Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the North Tongpu Railway, was preserved, several key railway bridges south of Shuoxian County were all blown up.
Although the Japanese army invested a lot of force in repairs, the Zhengtai and Beitongpu railways were never able to restore their original shape due to the continuous air raids by the Anti-Japanese Alliance, as well as the large-scale sabotage operations in various base areas behind enemy lines in Shanxi. operating capability.
It was not until the Japanese troops stationed in Shanxi, forced and besieged by the Northern Shanxi Anti-Resistance League and surrounding internal forces, that they finally withdrew from Taiyuan because they were unable to continue. They also failed to restore Taiyuan's function as a transportation hub in Shanxi Province. Instead, it became a The large hole that the Japanese army could never fill had swallowed up a large number of Japanese troops and new forces.
Although when Yang Jicai retreated, the Japanese troops around the battlefield heard violent explosions from inside and outside Taiyuan City. They knew that the enemy troops inside and outside Taiyuan City were about to retreat. However, under the cover of the Anti-Alliance Air Force, which had been doing their best these days, Passively defending, but unexpectedly, when they were about to retreat, they launched successive tactical counterattacks. Under the obstruction of the enemy forces, they could only watch helplessly as the enemy forces around Taiyuan City withdrew completely.
But no matter what methods Yang Jicai took, he finally allowed the few remaining troops on the Shuangta Temple front line in the south of the city to safely withdraw from their positions and join the troops on the Haojiagou front line. At this time, whether it was the south of the city or the Haojiagou front line, After a short period of hard fighting, the two armies combined together only had more than one battalion left.
Fortunately, the air cover was effective, the Shuangta Temple front-line troops evacuated quickly, and Yang Jicai took certain measures in the south of the city. In addition, the original Haojiagou front line was not the main direction of the Japanese army's attack. Although the two troops suffered heavy losses, , but fortunately they were all withdrawn.
After the two armies merged, they immediately rushed to the front line of Shear Bay. At this time, Su Yingqi had very few usable soldiers left. After the two armies arrived, Su Yingqi did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately used the few soldiers Yang Jicai left for him. After the tanks were destroyed, under the cover of the artillery that had moved to the front line of Wohu Mountain, they adopted the tactic of alternating cover while retreating, and retreated to the front line of Wohu Mountain.
After arriving at Wohu Mountain, Su Yingqi, knowing that time was running out, immediately took over the position of the second regiment of the 4th division of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region. However, Su Yingqi's existing strength, even with the addition of the commander of the 8th division of Jinsui, was deliberately left behind so that he could be used when necessary. At that time, the troops who cooperated with them to break out and were familiar with the terrain could only stick to the main peak position of Crouching Tiger Mountain.
Looking at the second regiment of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Fourth Division, who was originally responsible for the frontline defense of Crouching Tiger Mountain, and his old comrade in the Red Army, after seeing the only remaining troops around him, Su Yingqi bit the bullet and still refused to accept it. He proposed the strength of the two companies he wanted to leave behind.
Seeing Su Yingqi stubbornly rejecting his suggestion, his old comrade-in-arms could only shake his head worriedly. With the weapons handed over by Su Yingqi that no one in his army was using, and taking advantage of the familiar terrain, he took advantage of the familiar terrain and walked in the dark. Under the cover of the last darkness, they took advantage of the gaps in the deployment of the 32nd Division to retreat.
With the cover of night, familiarity with the terrain, and the fact that the main attack direction of the 32nd Division was not on the front line of Crouching Tiger Mountain, the wounded were taken away by Yang Jicai in advance, so there was basically no burden, and their retreat did not cost much. With enough strength, he easily got out.
After the troops from the fourth division of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Division were evacuated, Su Yingqi looked at the remaining half of the battalion of his reinforced regiment, plus the strength of the two companies of the Shanxi-Sui Army. He did not put his troops on Crouching Mountain, but instead fought with them. The remaining five tanks were deployed on both sides of the pass leading to Huangzhai.
On the front line of Shear Bay, two tanks had their chassis damaged, but the turrets were still intact. He dismantled the turrets and placed them on both sides of the pass. With such a small amount of troops in hand, he still had to hold on until all the trains participating in the retreat were withdrawn. Xiangyangxianxian, Su Yingqi really didn't have much foundation in his heart.
With such a small force alone, it would be a problem for him to defend the entire Huwo Mountain, not to mention the main peak. After much hesitation, in addition to a company carrying two 14mm machine guns to defend the main peak, Su Yingqi still used the main force to defend the main peak. Putting it at the pass leading from Wohu Mountain to Huangzhai and the North Tongpu Railway, there were not enough troops to defend the front, so he had to think of ways to defend it.
After the rest of the troops withdrew, he had to face not only the 32nd Division in front of him, but also the 41st Division that had entered Taiyuan City and was pursuing the north of the city. Although Crouching Tiger Mountain The mountain is relatively steep, but the overall mountain is not high. If my limited troops stick to Wohu Mountain, they may not be able to hold on for even half a day.
The key is that there is not much ammunition left in his hands. The two cannon shells Yang Jicai left for him only have more than 20 rounds left. Although Yang Jicai promised that he would deal with the 32nd Division chasing behind him, Let him blow up the two cannons that don't have many shells when necessary.
But Su Yingqi couldn't think of anything even if she tried her best. How could that guy who was always adventurous and whose head was always full of conspiracies be able to stand alone behind enemy lines with tanks when there were so many Japanese troops around? and artillery to cover your safe retreat.
Su Yingqi is not worried about his own safety. His life in the rain of bullets these years has made him mentally prepared. Not only must he be prepared to sacrifice on the battlefield at any time, but he must also be prepared to be killed by his own people. Death, for For him, it has long been no longer a thing.
As early as when he received Yang Jicai's order to serve as the general cover for the army's general retreat, Su Yingqi himself was already prepared to sacrifice here. He was not afraid of death, but felt sorry for the soldiers he brought with him who had been standing there for a long time. The tired soldiers led this regiment with only the bones and blood left.
What made him even more worried was that with such a small amount of troops at hand, in a place as big as a palm, with no depth or flank cover, to withstand the attack of a Japanese division would require the entire army to attack. How long can the main force hold on for as long as it lasts? Can the main force withdraw safely?
What surprised Su Yingqi was that after he withdrew to the front line of Crouching Mountain, until he received the order to retreat across the entire line, the Japanese troops who were so close seemed to disappear out of thin air, and he did not launch any attack at all. Not only did he not launched an attack, and even Niutuo Village, the most important stronghold that controlled the entire Dongshan Mountain of Taiyuan, voluntarily gave up.
Although there were violent explosions around Taiyuan City, in the direction of Niutuo Village, and Xiaoyaotou, the huge vibrations that he had experienced in the Kangbao battlefield were once again heard, plus the huge explosions, Su Yingqi knew that this was the headquarters' plan to do whatever it took. The cost was to weaken the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army and prepare for their retreat.
But Su Yingqi still couldn't believe that the 32nd Division didn't even make a tentative attack, and he couldn't figure out why there was a complete division. Although the casualties were not light after a few days, the combat effectiveness was still intact. The 32nd Division actually left him hanging on Crouching Tiger Mountain, just a stone's throw away from Taiyuan City.
After letting him stay peacefully in Crouching Tiger Mountain for a long time, he was not attacked at all, let alone blocked or attacked, and he was not even hit by a shell. He was so safe and sound, without a single shot. They evacuated from Wohu Mountain, which is only a dozen kilometers away from Taiyuan City.
After evacuating Crouching Tiger Mountain, Su Yingqi did not dare to delay. He took the forty-six Japanese trucks captured in Taiyuan City left behind by Yang Jicai, and under the cover of tanks, quickly retreated along the highway towards Shiling Pass. At this time, He did not have the curiosity to study why the Japanese army did not attack him and why they did not withdraw at this time. How long would they wait before withdrawing again?