Thirteen kilometers north of Datong, the joint command post of the XXVI Division and the Cavalry Group.

"Two generals, report from the front."

"So far, the outermost fortifications built by the enemy in Datong have been completely destroyed by the mountain and field artillery wings."

"The 11th Separate Infantry Wing and the 71st Tank Wing are continuing to attack from the west and north. At the current pace, it would take us two days to approach the walls. ”

After finishing speaking, the communications staff officer immediately bowed his head and stood upright, for fear that some move would anger the two lieutenant generals in front of him.

After patiently listening to the battle report, Otozaburo Yano first moved to the sand table and pulled out a few small red flags symbolizing the Eighth Route Army according to the information he had just obtained.

Then, the old devil pretended to say casually:

"Yo Xi, it seems that the samurai are very energetic, and the overall progress is not bad."

"As for the casualties, why didn't they report just now. Rest assured and boldly, I will never be angry with you. ”

Attacking Datong, which has been garrisoned by the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region for a long time, will inevitably result in small casualties, and all the top leaders of the army stationed in Mongolia were mentally prepared for this in the early stage of the decision-making process.

That's why Gansu Jutaro proposed to transfer the troops of Li Shouxin and King Tokumi from the rear.

All this was done to deplete the ammunition of the Eighth Route Army and to minimize the casualties on your own side as much as possible.

"Casualties."

In the face of his own lieutenant general's question, the communications staff officer's reaction was obviously a little unnatural. He adjusted his expression and replied with an open look:

"As of 11 o'clock this evening, the 26th Division has suffered 3,100 casualties, including 1,927 Yusha."

"The losses of heavy weapons were relatively light, and the Eighth Route Army did not find our artillery positions. However, due to air raids, one Type 91 105-mm howitzer was completely scrapped. ”

As soon as these words came out, Yano Otozaburo's old face suddenly swelled red, and the whole person entered a state of red temperature.

Although the old devil had done a good job of psychological construction before the operation, the current casualty figure was still too unexpected for him.

In two days before the start of the war, one-fifth of his division had evaporated. If we continue to fight like this, won't the whole army be wiped out in order to take Datong?

The casualties of friendly troops made Nishihara Kazusei on the side also a little nervous.

Compared to the 26th Division, which combined infantry and artillery, the formation of the cavalry group was inherently unsuitable for siege, otherwise his troops would not have dealt with the flank positions.

Although the old devil strictly forbade the armored troops to go too deep before the war, no one knew the bottom before the specific report came out.

The communications staff officer was not silent for long, and soon he opened the folder and continued to report:

"The situation of the cavalry group is better, and in two days there are only 1,700 casualties, of which 632 are the samurai of Jade Shatter."

"In the armored forces, the loss of tanks was minimal, and only seven Type 95 light tanks were destroyed by the enemy. However, the situation with various types of armored vehicles is not optimistic, and the losses have already exceeded half. ”

Hearing this, Nishihara Kazuce reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief.

It is indeed difficult to replenish armored vehicles, but the basis of the cavalry group's life is light and medium. As long as the tanks can be kept, their combat effectiveness will not drop too much.

After digesting the battle report, the two devil lieutenant generals were bitter and couldn't speak.

"Hey, it seems that there is basically no way to achieve victory with only two divisions and six divisions of the Imperial Cooperative Army."

"Iguchi Nakasa, now you go and send a telegram to urge us, and ask where our support troops have gone? Can you arrive in Jin Province in one day? ”

"Hey!"

Hearing the order of his lieutenant general, the communications staff officer breathed a sigh of relief, and then trotted out of the command post.

How difficult it is to attack Datong, Okamura Ninji, who oversees the army in the area of Fengzhen, is naturally Menqing.

It's still only a peripheral phase of fighting, and one wing of troops is consumed every day. After the city wall was blown up, there was no telling how many more people would die.

After all, basic light weapons have always been the advantage of the Eighth Route Army, and an infantry squad is equipped with a barrel, a light machine gun, two submachine guns, and several rifles.

There are even more bombs in reserve, even if the ugly countrymen come, they have to knock one and leave.

Some of the particularly wealthy main forces will even be armed with 50 or 60 mm mortars.

On the other hand, on the other hand, the Type 38 rifle, the Taisho Type 11 light machine gun, and the Type 89 grenadier canister that have remained unchanged for thousands of years are still fighting the world, and their firepower is more than one grade behind.

If this kind of equipment starts a street fight, it is estimated that the A division will have to be pressed to the ground and rubbed.

In order to prevent the North China Front Army from also jumping out of the Osaka Division, Okamura Ninji specially transferred the 110th Division, the 7th Independent Mixed Brigade, and the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade to reinforce them.

In this way, a situation of 100,000 people fighting a city can be formed.

······

After the communications staff officer left, Otozaburo Yano found his colleague still in a daze. He followed the other party's gaze and found that Nishihara Kazuce was studying a map of Datong County.

"Nishihara-kun, you're worried about the street fighting."

"Street fighting can indeed drag the fighting into a stalemate, but the city of Datong is very unmodern, and almost 90% of the buildings are made of brick and stone."

This means that it is very difficult for the enemy to take advantage of the complex environment in the city. If we have enough people, it is even possible to become the dominant side. ”

As someone who has been stationed in Datong for three years, Otozaburo Yano can pat his chest and say that he knows every corner of the city.

In the eyes of the old devil, the houses in the county town can't block the direct fire of 75 mm mountains and field artillery, not to mention the cavalry group and tanks.

As if seeing that his colleagues still had concerns in their hearts, Otozaburo Yano said confidently:

"You can rest assured that I will definitely come up with a battle plan that satisfies everyone within two days."

"Besides, the most proficient general in the Republic of China army is the defeated general of you and me. No matter how powerful the Eighth Route Army surnamed Nie is, is it better than the Seventh Route Army to defend? ”

"Take out the momentum of the Battle of Taiyuan back then, and let us work together to conquer the city in front of us."

The colleague in front of him was full of confidence, and Nishihara Kazuce was embarrassed to refute it.

From his point of view, the Eighth Route Army must also be aware of the above situation. People are not stupid, since they can build a large group of fortifications outside the city, it will inevitably strengthen the defense system inside the city.

As long as there are buildings to rely on, there is a high probability that your side will be struggling.

At the thought that at any moment an infantry carrying a bazooka might appear from the rooftop, and then kill his treasure Ninety-Seven Zhongtan with a single shot, Nishihara felt that the future was bleak.

After a moment, the old devil shook his head, changed the subject, and said:

"After two days of fighting, have you ever encountered the artillery position of the Eighth Route Army on your division's side?"

This artillery was not an artillery regiment consisting of Miss 75, but a large-caliber mortar mentioned by the 2nd Brigade Regiment of the Independent Mixed Formation.

In the current stage of positional warfare, the mortars of the Eighth Route Army caused heavy casualties to the attacking troops of the devils, after all, this thing is quite invincible in the trenches.

Moreover, the defenders had really enough shells, and every time they shot, they covered an area at full speed, almost lifting the Type 92 infantry guns to fight.

"Not really, I guess the enemy wants to stay in a critical moment and use it again."

"I have instructed the various wings to report as soon as they find the enemy's large-caliber mortars, and that terrible thing must be strangled in the cradle."

At the mention of the 120mm mortar, Otozaburo Yano deliberately accentuated his tone.

In the next half hour, the two had an in-depth discussion on the follow-up battle plan, and put forward more suitable choices in many details.

In order to adjust the state of the troops that were fighting continuously, they canceled the plan for today's night attack and asked all units to strengthen their existing positions in place.

(End of chapter)