As the commander of the North China Front, Terauchi Shouichi has been in a good mood lately. The Japanese army, which fought on two fronts, won a great victory this time. In the battlefields of Songhu and Shanxi, the Chinese anti-Japanese forces were severely damaged.

Now the war in the south is still going on, and the Japanese army, which has just finished the Battle of Songhu, is preparing to attack Nanjing, the capital of China. As for the war in Shanxi, it can basically be declared over, and all that remains is to continue to encircle and suppress the remnants of the Jin Sui army.

But no one would have thought that Shouichi Terauchi, who had just woken up in the morning, received two telegrams one after another. One of them is about the destruction of the Jingcheng section of the Zhengtai Highway, which is expected to take at least a week to resume operation.

In addition, the prisoners of war escorted in the Jingcheng Coal Mine were rescued by unknown people overnight. An infantry brigade stationed in the coal mine was all broken, and the infantry brigade that went to check it also suffered heavy losses.

Moreover, after the explosion of the Jingcheng Coal Mine, some of the mines that were drilled before have now collapsed and blocked. If you want to dig through and repair it again, I'm afraid it will take a long time. At least for a short time, the coal from the Jingcheng Coal Mine could not be transported.

Shouichi Terauchi, who saw this news, said with a slight frown: "Near Jingcheng, is there any activity of the Zhina Army?" How could a coal mine garrisoned by an infantry brigade be captured overnight? How many troops did the enemy send out? ”

Faced with such an inquiry, Chief of Staff Okabe Naosaburo shook his head and said, "Your Excellency Commander, this is the battle situation report sent from the Jing Cheng direction earlier. It is not known who did this.

However, according to our reconnaissance, there should be no activity of the Zhina Army near Jingcheng at present. After we captured Shanxi, the Chinese army in this region fell into exile and did not dare to confront our army head-on.

I had previously instructed the infantry wing stationed in Jingcheng to ascertain the situation and report it as soon as possible. I believe that around noon today, there should be a detailed investigation report. If there is really a branch of the army operating here. We need to be careful! ”

'Nice! Zhengtai line is very important to us. This time, we captured Taiyuan, and many important materials need to be transported through this railway. The railway from Taiyuan to Zhangjiakou has not yet been fully connected, and it is not needed for the time being.

In order to guarantee the safety of this railway, it is necessary to alert the garrison troops along the line. Strengthen the patrol protection of railways. Important areas, set up guards to fight. It was discovered that there was a Chinese army operating near the railway, and it was resolutely eliminated. ’

Just as the two of them were analyzing the situation on Jing Cheng's side, a telecommunications staff officer quickly saluted after the report was approved: "Your Excellency, Commander, an urgent telegram from the Ninth Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade!" ”

As soon as he heard this, Naosaburo Okabe took the telegram and opened it and said, "Yaga, it's the Eighth Route Army again!" ”

Hearing Okabe Naosaburo swear and mention the Eighth Route Army, Shouichi Terauchi said directly: "What's wrong? ”

'Your Excellency, Commander. Yesterday evening, the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army attacked our airfield at Yangmingbao. The defenders of the airfield and the pilots were all shattered, and even the infantry wings and tank squadrons that were deployed there were all wiped out.

According to the telegram sent by the Ninth Brigade, the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army dispatched at least nearly 10,000 troops in the battle for the sneak attack on Yangmingbao Airport. What's even more terrifying is that our plane was snatched away by the Eighth Route Army! ’

'Nanni! The Eighth Route Army snatched our planes? Do they have someone who knows how to fly an airplane? ’

Thinking of the analysis of the data of the Eighth Route Army, Terauchi Shouichi's first reaction was impossible. You must know that in the entire Chinese battlefield today, there are many warlord troops with air force units. But the Eighth Route Army had never heard of an air force at all.

Since there is no air force, there can be no pilots. And today's warlord forces in China. For pilots are very important. In fact, the treatment given to pilots in the Japanese army was undoubtedly very high.

If the Eighth Route Army destroyed the Yangmingbao Airport, then Terauchi Shouichi felt that it was also possible. After all, the Eighth Route Army went out overnight to carry out a sneak attack by nearly 10,000 people, and it was indeed possible to take down the Yangmingbao Airport and the garrison barracks.

But the planes were all snatched away, and that was not a trivial matter. If it is near Shanxi. There is also an air force unit that can bomb their garrison at any time, which is definitely not a good thing for the troops stationed in Shanxi.

As the commander of the North China Front, Terauchi was well aware of the importance of air supremacy. If this is true, then it is very necessary for them to make a higher assessment of the strength of the Eighth Route Army.

After reading the telegram. Terauchi Shouichi said with a gloomy expression: "Eight grid tooth road! It's this Eighth Route Army again, they dare to take the initiative to provoke our Imperial Army, it seems that it is really necessary to list them as the target of the next main attack. ”

Although it was only a small town that was captured by the Eighth Route Army, it was indeed a very dangerous thing to hide such a force of tens of thousands of people in the area under their control. If they don't solve it, they will always have to be careful about sneak attacks in the future.

Hearing Terauchi Shouichi's words, Okabe Naosaburo quickly said: "Your Excellency, Commander, our next combat goal will be to attack Shaanxi, open the passage into southwest China, and completely control China.

It's just that at present, our front-line troops have been fighting at a high load for so long, and it is very necessary for them to take a break. The most important thing is that the attention of the base camp at the moment is more concentrated in the south.

And the Eighth Route Army, which controls Shaanxi and Gansu, has at least more than 100,000 regular troops. Based on the information we have gathered, this Eighth Route Army was backed by the Soviet government behind the scenes. This is also a big concern for us.

If we want to encircle and annihilate them, we must draw up a detailed plan for encirclement and suppression. This unit can make peace with the Central Army, and its combat effectiveness and will should not be underestimated. ”

As the chief of staff of the North China Front, Okabe Naosaburo still knows some inside information about the situation of the various units in China. The discord between the Central Army and the Eighth Route Army is also known to them.

This time, the two parties joined hands to fight an all-out war of resistance, which was indeed not what the Japanese army wanted to see. However, if you want to encircle and suppress such a force, you will not be able to do it without sufficient troop and planning preparations.

'Yo! A report was sent to the Ninth Mixed Brigade, ordering them to encircle and suppress the Eighth Route Army in the defense area. Second, from the troops resting in Taiyuan, an infantry brigade was transferred to cooperate with the encirclement and suppression.

In addition, the air force units in Shijiazhuang were ordered to enter the territory of Shaanxi to carry out reconnaissance. In addition to collecting important bombing targets, it is necessary to find out the air base of the Eighth Route Army. As soon as discovered, destroy it immediately. ’

'Hey! ’

Hearing Shouichi Terauchi's order, Naosaburo Okabe quickly issued the order. An infantry brigade of the Japanese army, which was resting in Taiyuan, quickly rushed to the Daixian area by train to cooperate with the Ninth Mixed Brigade to carry out the encirclement and suppression plan.

Compared with the vigilance of the North China Front, the garrison of the 129th Division at this moment fell into a moment of jubilation. Not to mention the destruction of the airport that posed the greatest threat to them, even the little devil coalition army in Yangmingbao was completely annihilated.

Even this battle, as many people know, is more due to the independent column. But no matter what, the materials and guns captured in this battle made the 129th Division also overjoyed.

Looking at the list of seizures submitted, Liu Bocheng also smiled and said: "Okay, we have gained a lot in this battle." It seems that our 129th Division can finally form a main force regiment equipped with Japanese-style weapons. Commissar, do you think that regiment should be reorganized first? ”

Facing Liu Bocheng's inquiry, Political Commissar Deng thought for a while and said, "Or the 769 regiment!" This is the main regiment of the 385 brigade, and many of its weapons were also captured by them. If they are to be reorganized, priority should be given to regrouping them. ”

'Good! Chief of Staff, you have passed on this reorganization order, so that the 769th Regiment must complete the reorganization in the shortest possible time. This time we have made a lot of money, but the little devils will definitely not give up and will inevitably send a large force to encircle and suppress our base area.

Order our forward troops to pay close attention to the movements of the little devils and notify the division headquarters as soon as there is any situation. The rest of the troops, taking advantage of the fact that the little devils have not arrived, can build blocking and defensive positions in advance.

For the time being, the captured armored vehicles were handed over to the guard battalion of the 385 brigade. In an emergency, perhaps these armored vehicles can also come in handy. When the situation stabilizes, the headquarters will be consulted to decide on the placement of these armored vehicles. ’

As the commander of the 129th Division, Liu Bocheng naturally wanted to keep these armored vehicles. But he also knew that in the absence of fuel, there was not much use for these armored vehicles to keep.

On top of that, they are currently behind enemy lines. Such armored vehicles, sometimes undoubtedly large targets, and even many times, limit the transfer of troops. After all, wheeled armor still has requirements for road conditions.

But they are active in Dai County, and what they are best at is drilling ravines. And these wheeled armored vehicles are impossible to follow the transfer of troops. Therefore, it is undoubtedly a wise decision to abandon the idea of forming armored forces.

In addition, Liu Bocheng still considered that among the Eighth Route Army, the unit that can play the role of armored vehicles to the greatest extent should be the independent column. These armored vehicles are still very useful when they are put into the grassland.

An independent column responsible for the defense of the Suiyuan direction is needed, if it can form a rapidly reactive armored force. In the future, when fighting the little devils, maybe the odds of winning will be greater.

And this time, the 129th Division has gained so many benefits, and it seems somewhat unrighteous to take these armored vehicles again. Based on these considerations, Liu Bocheng made an order for the 385 Brigade Guard Battalion to temporarily take over the armored vehicles.

As long as the time is ripe, these protected armored vehicles may have a chance to drive back to the base area. At least Liu Bocheng knew that Yulin was currently the base area of the Eighth Route Army and the base area with the most roads.

This means that as long as the armored vehicle drives into the territory of Yulin, there is no need to worry about the situation that there is no way to drive. From this direction alone, it can be seen that He Zhengdao seems to be very forward-looking for the construction of the base area! (To be continued.) )