In the evening of the same day.

Beijing Review,

Inside the underground headquarters of the North China Front.

"Commander, of the seven planes that carried out the first round of air raids on the base areas of the Eighth Route Army, only one returned, and the remaining six were all shot down by the Eighth Route Army, and the six pilots were shattered."

"According to the report of the pilot who escaped."

"The Eighth Route Army also has fighter jets, and their performance is very advanced, just two, in just ten minutes, shot down six Imperial fighters, and the other side was unharmed."

"According to the battle situation, it is speculated that the base area of the Eighth Route Army has equipment that can remotely detect and locate aircraft."

When the staff officer reported the news to Gangcun Ningji,

He was silent for a long time.

Although he did not have much hope for the effectiveness of air strikes,

Gangmura Ninji knew very well that with the technical level and industrial capacity of the forces behind the Eighth Route Army, it was almost inevitable that the Eighth Route Army would support the advanced fighter planes of the Eighth Route Army, which far surpassed the technical level of the Locust Army.

Therefore, the real purpose of his air raid plan was to draw out the means of the Eighth Route Army to deal with the air force, as well as to consume its air defense forces.

The casualties are not jade fragments, but the total number including missing, jade fragments, and injuries.

"The gap is so big..."

He had a hunch that because of the gap in technology, it would lead to the failure of the locust army's air attack, but he did not expect that the gap brought by technology would be so big.

The village chief sighed.

"And the area controlled by the First Army is facing the enemy's Taiyue base area."

"Shinozuka-kun."

"General."

Gangmura Ningji sighed.

Yoshio Shinozuka replied seriously.

Gangcun Ningci's tone was kind, as if he was pulling a family routine:

"One brigade a week..."

"What is the situation in the First Army lately?"

"Hey."

···

"General."

One brigade per week,

That's nearly 500 casualties a week.

In just one and a half years, let alone one division, I am afraid that two or three divisions may not be able to enter the base area of the Eighth Route Army.

"Let Garner Shunzheng stop the air raids on the base area of the Eighth Route Army."

Gangmura Ningji whispered to himself.

"The Independent Regiment, as well as the 386th Brigade to which it belongs, are stationed in the Taiyue base area, and the defensive pressure of our First Army is very huge."

Before Ishihara came over, Okamura Ninji answered Yoshio Shinozuka's phone.

"With all due respect."

And now...

Yoshio Shinozuka, who hasn't appeared for a long time, is in a standard upright posture, holding a phone and speaking in a serious tone.

"The current situation of the First Army is very bad."

But now this result is still far beyond his expectations.

The changes are so great,

"A year and a half!"

"You and I haven't seen each other in a long time, have we?!"

"Since it was damaged by the attack in late August, the Zhengtai Line has not been fully opened to traffic, and its transportation capacity has dropped by 70 percent compared with last year, and the First Army is seriously short of supplies."

Yoshio Shinozuka's tone is still serious:

Gangcun Ningci changed the topic.

A year and a half ago,

Although the Eighth Route was a trouble, causing considerable casualties to the locust army's transport convoys and baggage troops, it had not yet become a climate, and a brigade could run rampant in the depths of the so-called base area of the Eighth Route Army.

"Give me a call from Yoshio Shinozuka."

Seven against two,

In just ten minutes, not only did they win the battle, but even the locust army fled back with only one plane.

"Although there were no large-scale battles, they were only law and order clashes, and small-scale battles still led to casualties in our First Army, almost every week."

Let Okamura Ninji be amazed.

"Since August 39, after the meeting of the Republic of China Dispatch Army Command Group, I have not seen a general for half a year."

Inside the headquarters of the 1st Army.

After giving the order to stop the follow-up attack, Gangmura Ninji waved his hand and signaled the staff officer to leave.

Then a staff officer was called again:

"Go and get Ishihara to come over."

The staff officer left.

According to the recent experience of fighting with the Eighth Route Army, especially the casualty statistics of the Eighth Route Army stationed in the Taiyue base area, in general, the casualties of the locust army accounted for half, and the remaining half were lightly injured and half were seriously injured.

This ratio is wrong.

The proportion of jade crushed is too high.

Gangcun had been surprised by this ratio before.

In the recent battle, the Eighth Route Army is the attacker, the Locust Army is the defender, and the main battlefield is also in the control area of the Locust Army, and the Locust Army reinforcements can arrive soon.

There is about half of the proportion of broken jade, which is really undeserved.

The casualty ratio is one to one, and only 25 percent of them are lightly wounded, let alone a defensive battle, even if it is an offensive or even a retreating unit, it should not be such a casualty ratio.

In the battle of Nomenkan, in the face of the powerful armored forces and aviation units of the bear in the north, the casualty ratio of the Imperial Locust Army did not reach such a terrifying level.

But after a detailed investigation by the General Staff, a conclusion was finally reached,

This ratio, although very abnormal, does not have any problems with authenticity.

Gangcun was originally blamed on the gap in weapons and equipment,

But after a detailed investigation, it was a reason why Gangcun didn't know how to evaluate it - the Eighth Route Army, especially the 386th Brigade in the Taiyue Base Area, was in the battle with the Locust Army.

Extremely cruel!

In the face of the locust army, they often kill directly and mercilessly.

But this cruelty is only for the locusts!

"Yes, a brigade of casualties per week."

Yoshio Shinozuka repeatedly:

"At present, the strength of the First Army is seriously insufficient."

'There's a lot of pressure on the defence.'

"Also."

Yoshio Shinozuka knows the purpose of Okamura Ninji:

"The Eighth Route Army in Taiyue, Lümeng and other mountainous areas has recently been planning to train new units in actual combat, and even pulled out the so-called militia reserves to participate in the battle."

"Train recruits."

Gangcun said to himself.

Although actual combat is the best training for recruits, even low-intensity actual combat will cause a lot of casualties for recruits.

Therefore, the best way is to go to the low-intensity battlefield actual combat simulation after a period of military training, and this time should not be too short, preferably about half a year.

The military training of imperial recruits is half a year.

The Taiyue base area is a relatively stable base area of the Tuba Road.

There is enough manpower and space for space training.

According to what Gangcun Ningci knew, the Taiyue base area only began large-scale training of militia units in May, and although it has been more than half a year now, most of it is not due to full-time training.

The actual training time is only equivalent to three months.

Even if you select one of the elite units and participate in actual combat, now is not the best time.

The international consensus is that the training time for recruits is best one year, and the empire only trains for half a year, because of the huge demand for army expansion and the serious shortage of front-line soldiers.

It is impossible for the Eighth Route Army not to understand.

At this time, the actual combat training of recruits began, presumably for the next war.

"Although rifles and other weapons are still not available in large quantities, and they are of poor quality and have a wide variety."

Yoshio Shinozuka continued:

"But there are quite a few machine guns."

Today, the number of advanced technology and equipment of the independent regiment is not large, and the number of establishments occupied is not much.

Under the method of equipping each squad with two Czechs, the 5,000 people of the independent regiment can get up to 1,000 Czechs per month, plus there are enough parts, and the damage can be repaired in time.

In the core base areas of Taiyue, Taihang, and southern Hebei, most of the regular combat units can still popularize machine guns to their squads.

"Are there any new weapons?"

Gangmura Ningji asked.

"Not yet."

Yoshio Shinozuka replied.

"I see."

Gangcun Ningji nodded, his tone solemn.

He hung up.

His face was still solemn.

Although the Eighth Route Army has not come up with new weapons recently, which is good news, it may also be that the pressure of the First Army on the Taiyue base area is too small, so that the Eighth Route Army in the Taiyue base area does not need to use advanced weapons at all.

···

"Commander."

After a while, Ishihara arrived.

"Ishihara-kun."

Okamura Ninji values Ishihara very much, and he goes straight to the point:

"This time, can we annihilate the main force of the Eighth Road and destroy the base area of the Eighth Road."

"Tell me what you think."

At present, the offensive against the base areas in southern Hebei has entered the final stage of preparation.

"Commander."

Ishihara sighed:

"IMHO."

"Even if we gather a strong force comparable to the Eleventh Army this time, it is impossible to destroy the base of the Eighth Route Army."

"We can destroy the base areas in southern Hebei, destroy and destroy industrial equipment and factories in southern Hebei, but it is impossible to eliminate the main force of the Eighth Route Army, and it will be blocked in southern Hebei, and we will not be able to advance an inch."

"Reason."

Gangmura Ningji asked.

Ishihara took a deep breath:

"At present, the strength and armament of our offensive troops are formed in accordance with the scale of the 11th Army of the Mobile Corps."

"But let's be clear."

"This time, what we have to deal with is not the preserved fruit army, but the Eighth Route Army."

"Compared with the preserved fruit, although the combat strength of the Eighth Route Army is somewhat insufficient, the three base areas of Taiyue, Taihang, and southern Hebei have less than 400,000 troops, but the reserve force is very sufficient, and the reserve soldiers exceed one million."

"But the locust army has only 110,000 troops."

"Moreover, the artillery of the Eighth Route Army can almost be said to be superior to the Empire in all respects."

Ishihara used the word superior.

"yes!"

Gangmura Ningji also sighed.

agreed.

Don't look at the locust army with a lot of artillery in charge, but if it is an offensive operation, if the battlefield is in the complex mountainous terrain of the Eighth Route Army's base area, it is really not as suitable for combat as a large number of advanced mortars on the Eighth Route Army.

And the quantity can also compensate for the pressed quality.

Even according to what is known, the Eighth Route Army had more than 200 120-mm mortars.

Of course

If it is an ordinary mortar that is currently armed with various countries, the locust army has an advantage.

But the problem is that the mortars of the Eighth Route Army are very advanced, and while further improving mobility, they can also greatly improve the range and accuracy, and the power of the shells is also greater.

"Moreover, we are seriously short of war readiness materials."

Ishihara continued:

"Although the Eighth Route Army lacks rifles and other weapons, it has sufficient personnel and artillery reserves, and sufficient food and other materials, and this time it is bound to be a large-scale war of attrition."

"Our supplies only support a short-term battle."

"And not a war of attrition."

"So, we need more troops, more supplies." (End of chapter)