The Eighth Route Army had withdrawn, and the Japanese troops who did not know what was going on were still cautious, maintaining an offensive formation, taking care of each other from front to back, left and right, for fear that the lone army would stand out and be ambushed, and the attack speed would not be fast. Vertex. Fastest updates

It is simply inconceivable that the 5th Division of the Japanese Army, known as the "Flower of the Army", and the 16th Division, which were so arrogant and brutal, encountered the eastward advance detachment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army.

There was no way, the Fifth Division suffered a big loss from the eastward advance detachment in Luokou, and basically scrapped the brave and combative 21st Wing, and they couldn't be arrogant even if they wanted to!

As for the 16th Division, in the Battle of Mafang, the eastward advance detachment completely annihilated the 20th Cavalry Wing, and carried out two infantry squadrons and a large artillery squadron and machine gun squadron of an infantry brigade, which were all annihilated, and none of them ran out alive. Don't look at the commander of the 16th Division, Lieutenant General Nakajima Isago Imasa, shouting for revenge, in fact, he is cautious in his heart, for fear that which brigade under his command will repeat the mistakes of the Battle of Mafang.

Just by being able to scare the arrogant Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division into such a coward, Xiao Siming is enough to be proud!

The Japanese army in Shijiazhuang City was attacked by the Eighth Route Army at night for several days in a row, and they were already exhausted, but they still had to keep their eyes open and tremble, looking forward to gathering and annihilating the Eighth Route Army under Shijiazhuang City with the Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division!

It was not until the afternoon that the 5th and 16th Divisions rushed to Shijiazhuang and made peace with the Japanese troops defending the city.

Labor and rejuvenate the people, driving 500 miles, full of hope to annihilate the eastward advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army in one fell swoop and capture Xiao Siming alive, but I didn't expect it to be empty again!

The Japanese troops defending the city and the devils of the 5th and 16th Divisions who came from afar looked at each other, all of them were full of gray colors, and there was a hint of joy in the division!

If it weren't for the corpses of the Japanese puppet army that had begun to stink along the way, maybe the little devils of the Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division would have doubted whether the Eighth Route Army had really attacked Shijiazhuang!

Lieutenant General Toshiyoshi Ando, commander of the 5th Division, and Lieutenant General Imakago Nakajima, commander of the 16th Division, are so angry that their noses are crooked!

The commander of the First Army, Lieutenant General Mitsu Mijiro, was the most embarrassed, he never expected that the Eighth Route Army would be so despicable and shameless, fighting and fighting, and even saying goodbye, making him look like a liar!

Mitsu Mijiro, who was originally as calm as a scholar, was tormented for several days, and at this time, his eyes were already bloodshot, his face was sallow, and he looked like he was seriously ill, and in the face of the questioning eyes of Lieutenant General Ando Toshiyoshi and Lieutenant General Nakajima Imakago, there was only one sentence over and over: "How is this possible!" ”

This is not to blame Mitsu Mijiro, the Eighth Route Army has always attacked at night and rested during the day. How would he know that the Eighth Route Army had withdrawn!

Major General Shojiro Iida, Chief of Staff of the First Army, and Mijiro Mizu, have similar images, but they are also unkempt. However, he was the chief of staff of the major general, and he still had to perform his duties, personally going to the confidential room to supervise the power generation, and sending a report to the troops of the second and third lines of defense on the periphery, asking if there were any clues to the Eighth Route Army.

Major General Shojiro Iida is definitely going to be disappointed!

When Shojiro Iida returned to Lieutenant General Mitsu Mijiro's office and reported the disappearance of the Eighth Route Army to His Excellency the Commander and His Excellency the two division commanders in a confused tone, the three old devils, Mitsu Mijiro, Ando Toshikichi, and Nakajima Imasago were still sitting on the sofa with sad eyes and silent words!

Iida Shojiro pointed out that the Eighth Route Army was still frantically attacking Shijiazhuang last night, and the two sides continued to fight fiercely, and even if they withdrew, it would be impossible for them to escape from the encirclement of the Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division. Could it be that they are hiding somewhere hidden around Shijiazhuang?

The Fifth Division, commander of the Fifth Division, said that this was impossible, and that the Fifth Division was pushed from south to north along the Shiliao Highway to the southern foot of Taihang Mountain, and the 16th Division was pushed along the Shiliao Highway to the Hutuo River from southeast to northwest. Not to mention a large army, even a small army of dozens or hundreds of people will not be able to slip through the net!

Toshiyoshi Ando asked Shojiro Iida if the Eighth Route Army would take advantage of the cover of night to smuggle across the Hutuo River and flee in the direction of Baoding?

Iida Shojiro reported that although the troops garrisoning the north bank of the Hutuo River were insufficient enough to prevent the Eighth Route Army from rushing to cross the Hutuo River, they had no problem in performing their surveillance duties. They didn't find out that the Eighth Route Army was smuggling across the Hutuo River!

The commander of the 16th Division, Lieutenant General Nakajima, thought about it and said, "Will the Eighth Route Army escape into Taihang Mountain?" ”

Iida Shojiro reported that it was also impossible, because Xiao Siming's troops were different from the troops of the Eighth Route Army, they had chariots, armored vehicles, and automobiles produced by the Great Japanese Empire, rubber-wheeled mules and horses equipped with the Great Japanese Army, anti-aircraft guns that needed to be pulled by pack horses, and the roads and roads leading to Taihang Mountain had been blocked by the troops of the 198th Division stationed in Yangquan, and it was impossible for them to enter Taihang Mountain by taking the sheep's intestine trail that only shepherds walked.

This is also impossible, that is also impossible, could it be that the Eighth Route Army will go to heaven and earth?

Obviously, that's impossible!

Toshiyoshi Ando couldn't figure out why, so he said to Mitsu Mijiro: "Your Excellency Commander, no matter what, let the troops camp and eat first. Hey, from the time I received the order to return north to the present, the Fifth Division has been on the march, and if it continues like this, the elite soldiers will be dragged into tired soldiers! ”

The Fifth Division is one of the three mechanized divisions of the Japanese Army, and I don't know how much less sin it will suffer than the 16th Division, which has fewer cars!

This is really a thin pig hum, and the fat pig also hums!

The commander of the 16th Division, Nakajima Imazo, then said: "The 16th Division is in urgent need of replenishment!" Special need to replenish fuel, rations, including clothing, shoes and socks! If you don't add it, the 16th Division will become a Hanako Army! ”

Shijiazhuang is the material storage base of the First Army of the Japanese Army, which can provide supplements to the Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division!

After mentioning and adding, Mitsu Mijiro finally got a little spirited and said: "Anyway, holding Shijiazhuang and not letting the materials stored in Shijiazhuang fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army is a success!" An Tengjun and Nakajima-kun, I asked Iida-kun to arrange it immediately, give priority to replenishing the 5th Division and the 16th Division, and let the troops repair in Shijiazhuang for a short time! ”

That's a beautiful sound!

After the commander of the North China Front, Terauchi Shouichi, and the chief of staff, Naosaburo Okabe, received the report of the First Army, the two old devils also looked at each other, took the telegram and looked at it over and over again, without squeaking.

After a long time, Terauchi Shouichi put the telegram on the table, collapsed on the chair, leaned on the back of the chair, pondered for a while, and then re-done, looked at Okabe Naosaburo, and asked lightly: "So, it's empty again?" ”

Naosaburo Okabe didn't want to face Shouichi Terauchi's questioning, but there were only two of them in the office, so it was not okay not to answer!

Okabe Naosaburo had no choice but to say "Hai", and then paraphrased the words of the telegram of Lieutenant General Mitsu Mijiro, commander of the First Army: "In any case, holding Shijiazhuang and not letting the materials stored in Shijiazhuang fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army is a success!" ”

Terauchi Shouichi was furious, slapped his hand on the table, and said "Yaga" and came out.

Fortunately, this is Naosaburo Okabe, the dignified chief of staff of the North China Front, no matter how arrogant Shouichi Terauchi is, it is impossible to slap his chief of staff. If someone else stood in front of Terauchi Shouichi at this time, he would definitely be beaten into a pig's head by the angry Terauchi Shouichi!

Shouichi Terauchi, who was furious, suddenly stood up and walked quickly in the office, roaring as he went: "The Fifth Division went from Longhai Road to Jinan, from Jinan to Tanggu, from Tanggu to Dezhou, from Dezhou to Jilubian, and then from Jilubian to Shijiazhuang; The 16th Division crossed the river from Shangqiu to Tai'an, from Tai'an to Yinping, and then to Dezhou, Jilubian, and Shijiazhuang. The two elite divisions of 50,000 horses, calculating how much gasoline and diesel fuel were burned, and how many rations were consumed, in the end they were all empty! No matter how advanced, developed, and strong the Japanese Empire is, can it withstand such a toss? I dare to assert that when Wuhan is taken, His Excellency the Prime Minister will propose to reduce the number of troops stationed in China, and the financial burden of the empire is too heavy! ”

Terauchi Shouichi is worthy of being a giant of the Japanese army, and now he is aware that the Konoe Funma cabinet will propose to reduce the number of troops in China in the future!

Naosaburo Okabe looked at Shouichi Terauchi blankly, not knowing how long his evil fire would be vented.

Terauchi Shouichi was indeed furious, and he was furious because he worked hard but fell into vain, and he was furious because the Japanese army's most elite Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division were led by the nose by the Eighth Route Army, and he was furious because he couldn't explain to the base camp and the emperor!

I heard Shouichi in the temple then roar: "Xiao Siming's, big Baga!" Shameless, despicable, cowardly, samurai, and courageous! Coward! Have the courage to sneak attack Shimen, but don't have the courage to fight with the imperial army in Shimen, secretly retreat, bandits, just bandits! ”

After scolding Xiao Siming, Terauchi Shouyi was still angry, and then scolded Mitsu Mijiro and Iida Shojiro for being rice buckets, Ando Rikichi for rice buckets, and Nakajima Imaigo for being rice buckets, all rice buckets!

Shouichi Terauchi almost didn't scold him for being a rice bucket!

After scolding around, the irritability and depression were vented, and the temple Shouichi stopped going violently, and went to the map again, silently examining it.

Seeing that Terauchi Shou started to look at the map, Okabe Naosaburo thought about quietly leaving, lest Earl Terauchi bear lose his temper and point at his nose and scold.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a step, the voice of Shouichi in the temple came: "Okabe-kun, where will Xiao Siming hide?" ”

Where did Naosaburo Okabe know where Xiao Siming was hiding? If he knew, he would have immediately notified the Fifth Division and the Sixteenth Division to pounce!

Stubbornly, Okabe Naosaburo still said cautiously: "The biggest possibility is that Xiao Siming's main force retreated before the 5th and 16th Divisions were encircled. Next, it is difficult to determine whether Xiao Siming will be in hiding and standby, or attacking the next target. However, in my opinion, we should pay attention to the direction of Xingtai and Handan! ”

Shouichi Terauchi let out a low "um". (To be continued.) )