"Nope."

Inoue Sadae flatly refused: "Yamamoto-kun, do you remember what I told you about the Six Kingdoms Theory? ”

"Hay, of course I do." Ryo Yamamoto said, "However, division commander, the current situation is very different from before, and we can no longer blindly abide by the original standards. ”

"Different?" Inoue Sadawei frowned, "What's the difference?" ”

Ryoichi Yamamoto sighed and said, "Is the division commander testing me?" ”

Inoue said: "You mean, the strength of the Eighth Route Army has increased? ”

"It's not just the increase in troops." Ryoichi Yamamoto shook his head and said, "More importantly, the combat experience and combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army have also been greatly improved!" ”

"Therefore, the current pressure on the security of our 69th Division can be said to be twice or even three times that of the beginning."

"At this time, we continue to maintain the original law and order standards, and stubbornly guard the hundreds of strongholds on the periphery, and the result is that these hundreds of strongholds will become bleeding points for continuous blood loss."

"Until our division runs out of the last drop of blood."

"In the end, not only the outlying strongholds can't be defended, but even the Ping'an County and even the Tongpu Railway can't be defended, and even the entire northwest region of Shanxi will be reduced to the territory of the Eighth Route Army!"

"Division commander, we can't afford such a result."

Inoue was immediately silent, because he knew that what Ryoichi Yamamoto said was the truth.

In recent months, the number of troops of the Eighth Route Army in the northwest of Shanxi Province has indeed expanded rapidly.

Although there is no exact number, according to the estimates of the intelligence department, the total strength of the Eighth Route Army in the northwest of Shanxi, including Li Yunlong's Independent Regiment, Ding Weixin's 1st Regiment, and Kong Jiexin's 2nd Regiment, is likely to exceed 20,000!

In other words, the total strength of the Eighth Route Army has exceeded the strength of the Japanese army in the northwest of Jinxi!

Because the Japanese army in the northwest of Shanxi Province only has one 69th Division, and the full strength is only 18,000 people!

What worries Inoue even more is that the infantry brigades of the 69th Division are seriously understaffed.

Therefore, the actual strength of the 69th Division is actually less than 15,000 people, which seems to be a lot, but when it is divided among more than 500 large and small strongholds, the average number of each stronghold is more than 30 people.

Of course, in fact there were far less than 30 Japanese troops in each stronghold, not half of them.

Because at least half of the strength of the 69th Division was a mobile unit, not a garrison.

In addition, the garrison of the county town is relatively large, and the number of troops that are really distributed to more than 500 strongholds on the periphery is more than 5,000 people, with an average of 10 people per stronghold.

Although in addition to the Japanese army, there are also puppet armies.

And the number of puppet troops is generally more than five times that of the Japanese army.

But even so, in the face of the well-trained and improved equipment level of the Eighth Route Army, such a little garrison force is really a bit too shabby.

In the past, the Eighth Route Army lacked heavy weapons to attack fortifications, and the Japanese puppet army could still rely on artillery towers to hold on.

But now that the Eighth Route Army has been equipped with a large number of mortars, infantry guns, mountain artillery and even field artillery, a stronghold with only a small number of troops to defend like this is really a point of blood loss.

More than 500 strongholds are the more than 500 blood loss points that caused the 69th Division to continue to lose blood.

According to the rate of blood loss in the last week, the 69th Division will run out of oil in about half a year.

Not to mention that there is simply not enough supplementary troops in the base camp now, even if there are enough supplementary troops, it will not be able to withstand it according to the initial supplementary standards.

So, shrinking the line of defense is the only way!

Ryoichi Yamamoto said: "Division commander, I know that shrinking the defensive line is tantamount to drinking doves to quench thirst, but if we don't drink doves, our 69th Division is likely to die of thirst in a short time. ”

"In other words, the dove can survive at least temporarily."

"Once the turnaround comes, we have a chance to detoxify."

"But if we don't drink doves, we won't survive the day when the turnaround comes."

"Well, Yamamoto-kun, you managed to convince me." Inoue Sadawei sighed and said, "Then let's shrink the defensive line, but we still have to study which strongholds to give up." ”

"For example, strongholds like Xiji, Niuzhuang and Xiaocaozhuang must not be given up easily."

"Of course." Ryoichi Yamamoto said with deep understanding, "Strongholds like Xiji, Niuzhuang and Xiaocaozhuang must not be abandoned, but they must also replenish the troops withdrawn from other strongholds to strengthen the defensive strength of these strongholds!" ”

"After all, once the situation in the Pacific Theater is reversed and the situation of the empire improves, the imperial army will still have to turn from defense to offensive in the northwest battlefield of Jin, and at that time, strongholds like Xiji, Niuzhuang and Xiaocaozhuang will become the advance base of the imperial army, posing a mortal threat to the Eighth Route Army in the northwest of Jin!"

"Yo Si." Inoue Sadawei nodded happily, and said, "Yamamoto-kun, then your staff will first draw up a detailed plan, and then submit it to me for approval." ”

"Hello!" Ryo Yamamoto slammed his head and said, "Division commander, there is another matter." ”

Inoue Sadawei frowned slightly, and said, "Do you want to talk about the issue of replenishing troops?" ”

"Yes." Ryoichi Yamamoto said, "Even if we adjust the deployment, it will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause, and if we want to truly consolidate the public order situation in the northwest of Shanxi, we must also allocate additional troops in a timely manner." ”

"I see, I'll call the headquarters." Sadae Inoue.

……

Almost at the same time, in Taiyuan.

The commander of the 1st Army, Nosuke Ichiro, was holding a banquet at the headquarters to give money to all the officers of the 36th Division and above.

Because the North China Front Command had just issued an order to transfer the 36th Division to the Pacific Theater and incorporate it into the battle sequence of the 19th Army.

Holding a small shot glass, Yuichiro No's mood was bitter.

Although the base camp issued a new order, with the independent mixed 4th Brigade as the backbone, it was then organized into three newly formed independent infantry brigades, which were organized into the new 62nd Division.

Therefore, on the surface, the strength of the 1st Army stationed in Shanxi was only changed from three divisions and two independent mixed brigades to three divisions and one independent mixed brigade, but one brigade was reduced.

But in reality, this is not the case at all, because the combat effectiveness of the newly formed 62nd Division is completely incomparable with that of the 36th Division, which is about to be transferred.

Therefore, the 1st Army stationed in Shanxi was reduced not by a brigade, but by a division!

This was even worse for the 1st Army, which was already overstretched.

Noyuichiro is even worried that after the 36th Division is transferred, will the newly formed 62nd Division be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of law and order in the Lu'an area?

After all, the Lu'an area not only had to face the main force of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army in the southeast of Jin, but also had to face the troops of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army in Jinnan, and the troops of the 386th Brigade were now divided into two parts.