"Ono-kun, immediately order the division guard brigade to assist the division headquarters in breaking through... The 136th Infantry Wing, under the cover of aircraft, must tear a breakthrough in the defensive position of the Eighth Route Army in the shortest possible time with lightning speed. Then, stick to the breakthrough and cover the troops to break through... The 119th Wing is the vanguard, the division headquarters is followed, and the remaining troops are closely following the headquarters, and now they are beginning to break through..."Looking at the departing communications staff officer, the division commander, Lieutenant General Shigehou Yamaoka, commanded loudly to the guard captain at the door. Then, I couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

"Boom, boom, boom...", because the anti-aircraft fire of the entire unit was all arranged around the various artillery positions. Therefore, after the 12 bombers of a bombing squadron reinforced by the Japanese army, after not being hit by anti-aircraft fire, they did not hesitate to carry out a frenzied bombing in the direction where the infantry was preparing to break through. In less than a few minutes, the position of the Eighth Route Army in the direction of the breakthrough fell into a sea of fire... Subsequently, more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers, under the cover of the plane's continuous strafing, launched a desperate charge against the position that had been caught in a sea of fire... Within a few minutes, the main battalion of the Eighth Route Army, which was blocking the front of the Yue Army, was completely lost under the double blow of the bombing of the Yue Army planes and the charge of the infantry. At the same time, the breakthrough point where the army was preparing to break through was also completely opened..."Kill to give...."Immediately, the little devil troops, regardless of the formation. Under the cover of the planes, along this breakthrough with a width of less than 100 meters, they quickly broke out of the encirclement....Only a small part of the Yue Army, because of the entanglement of the soldiers who broke through the position of the Yue Army, was given up by the main force of the Yue Army, and used as a bait to block the pursuit of the Eighth Route Army troops..."Report to the commander, the little devil broke through from the position of the three battalions of the Third Independent Regiment. According to statistics, there are at least more than 9,000 people in the army who broke through the encirclement. However, in order to break through the encirclement quickly, these armies gave up all their baggage and materials, and only slacked off the infantry and light weapons..."With more than 9,000 troops, under the leadership of the division commander, the encirclement of the Eighth Route Army was highlighted. Chen Dazhong, the political commissar who got the news, hurriedly rushed to the headquarters to make a report, hoping that the commander would make a correct decision earlier.

"What, the little devil broke through. What did the commander of the third battalion of the third regiment of Reading Power do, how could he let the army break through, I want to shoot him..."Hearing the smooth breakthrough of more than 9,000 little devils, Commander Gao Yuan couldn't help but be surprised and scolded loudly. Because as long as the army successfully breaks through, it will completely break the plan made by itself to destroy the enemy... What's more, almost all of the tens of thousands of troops in his hands are concentrated here. On the periphery, that is, on the way for the little devils to break through, there was no main force at all. If the army breaks out of the encirclement, it is basically impossible to carry out total annihilation.

"Commander, this can't be blamed on the three battalions of the Dusangu Regiment, the bombing of the military planes is too fierce, and they are specifically bombing the positions of the three battalions... After the army broke through, almost all the positions where the three battalions were located fell into a sea of fire. After statistics, there are less than 10 people left in the entire 3rd battalion of 563 people, and all of them are seriously injured. Even the commander of the third battalion died in the enemy's bombardment..."Looking at the commander Gao Yuan with an angry face in front of him, the political commissar hurriedly persuaded him, and at the same time, he gave the reason.

"Lao Chen, I'm sorry, we don't know the situation. Now that the little devil has broken through, our encirclement will have no effect. However, the army has been deep into Shanxi for a few days, and even if they break through, they are still surrounded by us. Don't worry, I will never let these little devils get out of Shanxi Province intact, and I will avenge the soldiers who died in the third battalion..."Gao Yuan's clenched fist slammed on the table in front of him.

"Commander, you give an order..."The chief of staff, who got the news, also rushed into the headquarters with an angry face on his face, and said to the plateau in front of him.

"Chief of Staff, order the three regiments of Reading and the three newly formed regiments to destroy the remnants of the army on the battlefield on the spot, and then take charge of cleaning up the battlefield. The 3rd Brigade of the Column and the Guards Brigade immediately joined the ranks of the remnants of the enemy. Ordered the divisional cavalry regiment to send troops, and constantly harassed the breakthrough troops along the way. At the same time, cavalry messengers were dispatched to inform all villages along the way to clear the fortified walls. Didn't the little devils give up all their baggage, I want to starve these little devils. Also, order the militia units everywhere to give me mines all over the road. In a word, use all means to slow down the march of the little devils. Eat the remaining 9,000 little devils bit by bit. Even if you can't eat them all, you have to exhaust them to death and drag them to death..."Gao Yuan ordered loudly.

"Yes, Commander. I'll go deliver the order right away..."The chief of staff turned and left the command ... Immediately, the more than 20,000 troops of the Eighth Route Army assembled on the battlefield were quickly divided into two under the command of the command. Some of them remained on the battlefield, continuing to eliminate the remnants of the army left behind, and cleaning and collecting a large number of baggage materials left behind when the army broke through the siege. At the same time, the other part of the troops quickly assembled on the battlefield and joined the pursuit with regiments as units.

As for the divisional cavalry regiment, which was entrusted with important tasks by the headquarters, more than 900 cavalrymen, under the command of the regiment commander He Guanghua, immediately pursued in the direction of the fleeing army. At the same time, a cavalry company of nearly 100 cavalrymen took a shortcut and quickly ran to the front of the little devil, informing the local troops along the way to clear the wall. In addition, a large number of mines were laid on the roads, which slowed down the speed of the army's march..."Report to Your Excellency the Division Commander, the Guards Troops are in an emergency..."Just as the division commander, escorted by the guard troops, rode forward quickly on his war horse, like the surrounding troops. The chief of staff, Kuramo Daisa, rode a fast horse, quickly caught up, and reported loudly.

"Cangmaojun, when is it now, don't pay attention to these military salutes. If there's anything going on, report it right away...", the division commander replied in a loud voice. However, the war horse under the crotch did not stop at all because of his own words, and was still running forward.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Division Commander. The Air Force reconnaissance plane reported that behind us, at least 10,000 troops of the Eighth Route Army were now rapidly pursuing our troops..."The chief of staff quickly replied.

"Baga, is it possible that the Eighth Route Army wants to annihilate my 109th Division so much... Kuramo-kun, send a telegram to His Excellency the Commander, requesting reinforcements from the Air Force. With airplanes, slow down the pursuit of the Eighth Route Army behind us. In any case, it is necessary to distance the march of the two armies. The commander of the division, Lieutenant General Shigehou Yamaoka, didn't think about it, and ordered loudly.

"But, Your Excellency, there is still an hour to go, and it is getting dark. By order of His Excellency the Commander, there will be no air reinforcements until dawn tomorrow. Everything depends on us..."The chief of staff immediately negated the order of the division commander just now.

"Nani, no air reinforcements..../? Yaga, how can this be. Chief of Staff, order the rearguard troops, leave a large group of troops, be sure to block the main force of the Eighth Route Army for at least an hour, and quickly convey the order..."Hearing the words of the chief of staff, the division commander was surprised at the same time, and hurriedly ordered..."Hi, Your Excellency the division commander..."Chief of Staff Kuramoge Osa took the order loudly. However, to Lieutenant General Shigehou Yamaoka's surprise, a brigade that was responsible for blocking the Eighth Route Army only lasted less than half an hour under the fierce attack of the pursuing troops equipped with tanks and anti-aircraft machine guns. Under the detour of the two flanks of the Eighth Route Army and the coordinated blows of the frontal attack, the whole army was annihilated and became a battle achievement in the hands of the pursuing troops... More importantly, at this moment, a cavalry company that had rushed to the front of the Japanese army was cooperating with the local militia troops. A large number of earthen mines have been laid on the road where the little devils must go, just waiting for the arrival of the little devils.

As he spoke, a huge cloud of black smoke suddenly rose from less than five hundred meters in front of the division commander. The dozens of little devils who walked at the forefront of the entire breakout force fell into a pool of blood together in the process of a homemade landmine, more than a dozen kilograms of black powder, and a large bag of iron nails exploding at the same time, and could not continue the march... And with the sound of explosions, the entire marching column stopped at once. In less than half a minute, the road stretching for several kilometers was crowded with little devil soldiers. Even the division commander, Lieutenant General Shigehou Yamaoka, who was heavily protected, was squeezed to both sides of the road under the congestion of the soldiers..."Report to Your Excellency the division commander, the advance guard troops have stepped on the mines laid out on the road by the Eighth Route Army, and at least one squad of Imperial Army soldiers has been affected to varying degrees and cannot continue to participate in the battle..." Finally, while the division commander, Lieutenant General Yamaoka Shigema, was anxiously waiting, a staff officer hurriedly ran in front of him and reported loudly.

"Baga, such a small thing actually caused the troops to stop advancing. Tell Matsui Daisa, the commander of the Avant-garde Wing, that there are more than 10,000 pursuers of the Eighth Route Army behind us, and if you don't want the 109th Division to be wiped out, don't let the troops stop because of these small casualties. Otherwise, he would be the sinner of my 109th Division..."Hearing the explosion of just one mine stopped the avant-garde troops. Looking at the dense imperial army troops on the highway around him, the division commander ordered with an angry face.

"Hey, Your Excellency the Division Commander...."At the command of the division commander, Matsui Daisa, the commander of the Advance Guard Wing, could only carry the half-immortal Imperial soldiers to the side of the road and leave them to fend for themselves. Then, the troops were ordered to continue the march ... As for the subsequent mine explosions, although their own wing continued to suffer casualties. However, as soon as he thought of the order of the division commander just now, the wing commander Matsui Daisa did not hesitate and forced the troops to abandon all the seriously wounded and step on the mines to continue ... Finally, after another march of almost two hours, after several hours of rapid marching, the army was called. Finally, because of fatigue, under the command of the division commander, he was ready to rest for five minutes to replenish the physical strength that had just been consumed a lot. However, at this moment, Matsui Daisa, the captain of the avant-garde wing, is not relaxed.

Because, in the night march of just two hours, his own avant-garde wing, almost every half minute, can step on an earthen mine... The explosion of more than 200 mines in total caused more than 1,000 casualties to its own avant-garde wing... After a day's fighting, there were only more than 2,000 people left in his own avant-garde wing. At this moment, after losing more than 1,000 people again, there is less than one infantry brigade left in the forces that he can continue to use..."Report to Your Excellency the Division Commander, I have something to report immediately..." The wing commander, who was forced to be helpless, could only put his last expectations on the division commander.

"Matsui-kun, you're not in front of you to command your avant-garde wing, what are you doing here?" Seeing Matsui Daisa, who was standing in front of him with an anxious look, the division commander, Lieutenant General Shigehou Yamaoka, asked dissatisfiedly.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, in just two hours, the Avant-garde Wing has stepped on at least 200 mines, inflicting at least a thousand casualties on the Avant-garde Wing. Now the avant-garde wing has only about a brigade of troops left, if at this rate of casualties. There are still two hours left before the avant-garde wing will be deprived of casualties. Your Excellency the Division Commander, please order the sappers to reinforce our department..."Looking at the dissatisfied eyes of the division commander, Wing Commander Matsui Osa did not hesitate and replied loudly.

"Nani, a thousand casualties... Baga, the Eighth Route Army is really very cunning. Could it be that this time, I said that the 109th Division of this empire is really going to be buried in the hands of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division..."The division commander who has already lost the war again and again and has no mood. After hearing such huge casualties, he couldn't help but mutter.

"Matsui-kun, less than 20 kilometers behind us, there are more than 10,000 pursuers of the Eighth Route Army, who are pursuing our troops at their fastest speed. Even if all the remaining engineer units are sent to you, there will be no extra time for them to demine..."Looking at the division commander with a lost face, the chief of staff looked at Matsui Daisa, who looked surprised in front of him, and said the reason for not sending the engineer troops.

"Nani... Chief of Staff, although I cannot send reinforcements, however, I have a method that can also reduce the casualties of the troops, and I ask His Excellency the Division Commander for approval...."Listening to the Chief of Staff's answer, Matsui Osa continued to ask while disappointed.

"Matsui-kun, if there is any way, you just say. As long as I can bring back the remaining troops of my division safely, I will try my best to meet your requirements..."The division commander hurriedly spoke.

"Hi, Your Excellency the division commander, the Eighth Route Army is densely covered with mines on the road, and we can find something to replace the soldiers to step on the mines. To a certain extent, this not only reduces the casualties of the troops, but at the same time, it will not affect the speed of the troops..."Looking at the expectant eyes of the division commander in front of him, Matsui Daisa quickly replied.

"Matsui-kun, what is it..."The division commander asked anxiously..."Hi, Your Excellency the division commander." Because when the troops broke through, they abandoned all the carts and mules and horses of the baggage wing. Therefore, the only thing that can replace the soldiers in stepping on the mines is only a few hundred horses of the cavalry wing..."Matsui Osa replied in a low voice.

"Yo Xi, just use war horses. As long as all these soldiers can be brought back, and there are no war horses, the command will definitely consider re-equipping the cavalry wing. Chief of Staff, I'll leave this matter to you. Immediately gather all the remaining horses of the cavalry wing, hand them over to the avant-garde wing, and go immediately..."The commander of the division ordered loudly, and his eyes, which were still very lost just now, slowly regained their brilliance.

"Hey, Your Excellency, I'll go deliver the order right away," replied the chief of staff.

In the following march, with the assistance of hundreds of war horses, the casualties of the avant-garde wing were almost zero, and the marching speed of the entire army was really not affected in any way ... However, the only thing that was affected was the cavalry who were driven off their horses, because every explosion that occurred in the forward position was like a needle, constantly piercing the heart of every cavalry soldier.

In this way, after almost a night of rapid marching, the whole army walked a distance that would normally take two days. With the arrival of the dawn, the little devil who fled all night seemed to see the light of success. Because they knew that as soon as dawn came, their planes would come to reinforcements. As long as the reinforcements arrived, the troops of the Eighth Route Army, which were almost haunting behind them, would stop. And you can also take a good rest and replenish the amount of physical strength consumed at night.

"Division commander, did you order the troops to stop and rest for a few hours. The troops marched all night without even a sip of water. According to the reports of the various wing commanders, there is now a phenomenon of soldiers falling behind. If there is no rest, the troops will be very seriously left behind. Seeing that the sun had risen in the east, and looking at the mechanical steps of the ordinary soldiers beside him, the chief of staff urged his horse to the side of the division commander, who was also dazed, and whispered a suggestion.

"Nani..."As he spoke, the division commander raised his head and looked at the tired soldiers beside him, then nodded and continued: "Cangmao-kun, it's dawn now. As soon as our air reinforcements arrived, the troops were ordered to begin to rest, but only for five hours. After five hours, the troops must continue to advance. In addition, during these five hours, in addition to resting and recuperating, you have to count the remaining strength of the current army..."

"Hey, please rest assured that your humble post will not disappoint your expectations and complete the task..."Chief of Staff Kuramo Osa replied loudly. Five minutes later, with the arrival of the first wave of 12 reinforcements, the only few thousand soldiers left in the entire 109th Division began to seize the time to rest and recuperate under the order of the chief of staff...

(To be continued)