Songhu: Never Give Up

In Tanjiagou, deep in the mountains and forests, a group of Japanese soldiers were trudging hard. They were chased from the front and blocked from the back by the guerrilla column for two days.
In order to get rid of the pursuers, they sent out several rearguard troops one after another, and only then did they completely get rid of the Chinese pursuit. Their strength was reduced to less than a hundred people, and what was even more terrible was that they were now lost.

The Yimeng Mountains were far more terrifying than they had imagined. There were mountains upon mountains, and each mountaintop was similar and indistinguishable.

Although they had a map, it was of little use in the mountains. They were lost after just a few turns.

When Colonel Ishii found that he had turned around several times and returned to the same place, he immediately became furious at Major Watanabe and cursed:
"Bakayalu, how did you lead the way? What did you learn in the Army General Staff Class? Did you eat shit?"

He had lost his patience. It looked like it was going to snow again. It was not pleasant to crawl through the ravines in the freezing cold.
If they still couldn't find a village, they would really freeze to death in the mountains. For fear of being discovered by pursuers, they didn't even dare to make a fire. For two consecutive days, many people were killed due to the cold.

Considering that Watanabe had spoken well of him, Major Suzuki interrupted and said:
"Sir, it is said that an old horse knows the way. I heard that war horses have a unique sense of human activity areas. Why don't you let your horse lead the way in front and we follow quietly behind. Maybe we can find a nearby village."

Colonel Ishii didn't know whether it was reliable or not, but they had no other choice now. They could only give it a try and put their hope on their only warhorse.

In Linyi City, Liao Jianping brought up the artillery battalion for reinforcement, and the general attack was about to begin;
Liao Jianping had taken over the command. The tactic he used was still to surround the enemy on three sides and leave one side open, leaving the northwest side as a way of survival for the Japanese.

Major Araki had completely lost confidence. Two days had passed and no reinforcements had arrived.

There was no response when he called the regiment headquarters. He suspected that the Araki Battalion had been abandoned, so he started to have other ideas.

"Mr. Fukui, do you feel it? The storm is coming. Now is the calm before the storm. The Chinese are about to launch a general attack!"

Captain Fukui, who was a bit stupid, obviously misunderstood. He was deeply influenced by Bushido and was not afraid. Instead, he said excitedly:
"Araki-kun, the time has come to serve the Emperor. Let the storms come even harder. The Imperial Army is not afraid of any storm."

Major Araki felt like he was talking to a cow. In his opinion, a warrior is one who fights if he can win, while a barbarian is one who still wants to fight when he can't win!

He was surrounded by barbarians who were not worth his time, so for the sake of his own life, he decided to make his own decision, and said coldly:

"Mr. Fukui, this is wrong. Knowing that it is impossible to do something and still doing it is a crime against the Empire. The Empire's warriors cannot be lost in vain.
So I decided to abandon Linyi City and move towards Jinan to preserve the vitality of the imperial army. "

Fukui could hardly believe his ears. Araki-kun was about to run away, and he said it so refreshingly. He couldn't help but curse:
"Bakayaro, you are betraying the Emperor's trust. The Imperial Army has never had the habit of running away."

Major Araki raised his hand and slapped him. After slapping him several times in a row, Fukui finally recognized the big and small kings.

"Bakayalu, you have a very bad conscience. How dare you question my decision?"

Fukui finally remembered that Araki was the highest commander of Linyi City, and it was not his turn to decide whether to retreat or defend, so he immediately bowed to Araki and apologized.

Major Araki saw that Fukui finally understood, so he changed his expression and said:
"Fukui-kun, do you have any good suggestions for transfer?"

This is the typical case of "Fukui-kun" when needed and "Bakayayaru" when not needed, which is similar to Sweetie and Mrs. Niu.

Captain Fukui, who had been bullied a few times, felt as aggrieved as Mrs. Niu, but he still put aside his selfish thoughts and suggested:
"Captain, since we are going to move in, I suggest that we blow up all the supplies in the city first and burn down Linyi City—"

"Bagayalu! Is your head filled with shit?
The Chinese attacked Linyi City not for occupation but for supplies, which they would have to return to the Imperial Army after they were done;
If we burn down Linyi City, where will we live? Who will collect our taxes and grain every year?

If we blow up the supplies, will the Chinese still let us move in safely?

Bagaya Road!
This boy is not worth your attention!

Quickly—turn in!”

Major Araki finally stopped pretending and ordered to abandon the city. He originally wanted Captain Fukui to say it, but he didn't expect that this guy was so unreasonable and wasted his feelings.

Captain Fukui finally reacted. Although he was not afraid of death, he could accept being able to evacuate Linyi City alive. After all, the person responsible was Major Araki, and he was just following orders.

After figuring out the whole thing, he chose to forget about the supplies. It was all Araki's fault!
Dongcheng, Second Battalion Temporary Headquarters
Liao Jianping was observing the enemy situation, accompanied by Captain Li Jiaxun, both of them were waiting for the moment of the general attack;
The two are old brothers, but Li Jiaxun's experience is still a little shallow, so he couldn't help asking:
"The Japs have always been stubborn and resilient. They won't be scared and run away. Even if they run away, we should send people to ambush them in the northwest and catch them all in one fell swoop."

Liao Jianping shook his head and said:

"What we want is the supplies in the city, not to destroy Linyi City. It would be best if we can force them to leave.
If we cut off their chance of survival this time, they will defend to the death. Are all the cities in China going to be destroyed?" It must be said that Liao Jianping's position is much higher now. His butt determines his head. As Yue Qianli's deputy after he returned to China, he had previously fought against Old Yue for the position of battalion commander.
Later, after being conquered by Yue Qianli, he has been his direct subordinate. Ai Jian and Sun Gang were transferred to other detachments, and only he stayed in the third detachment. He is Yue Qianli's direct disciple and has a much higher level of vision.

Li Jiaxun is at the other extreme. He is a hot-tempered person. He used to follow Liao Jianping to oppose Yue Qianli, but after being conquered, he became a die-hard fan. However, he still treats the devils from a pure military perspective and wishes to kill them all. Such thinking is unacceptable.

He didn't quite understand Liao Jianping's idea, but he would resolutely implement it, so he said:
"These devils better open their eyes, or we'll kill them all!"

Liao Jianping shook his head and said:

"Old Li, you have to change your temper in the future. The size of the military sub-district will be expanded, and the base area will be strengthened. A brigade may have to command thousands or even tens of thousands of people.

If you don't understand politics, you will suffer. You can't always be the captain. You can't just take a purely military approach to the Japanese. Remember, winning is the most important thing."

Li Jiaxun knew that the old leader was doing this for his own good, so he listened to some of his advice and was about to launch a general attack when news came from the front that confirmed Liao Jianping's judgment.
Li Jiaxun said with admiration:
"The devils really fled from the northwest and did not cause any damage. Are they paying us money to save their lives?"

Liao Jianping sneered and said:

"Do you think the devils are not afraid of death? Human nature is the same! They are deeply influenced by Chinese culture. They know that I have left them a chance to survive, so they are sensible.

If they dare to sabotage, I will chase them all the way to Jinan and destroy them!"

After Liao Jianping finished speaking, he exuded a domineering aura. At that moment, Li Jiaxun seemed to have realized a lot of things. War is indeed not a simple military route.

After realizing this, he said only one word:
"high!"

Liao Jianping pretended to be angry and said:

"Stop flattering me, go into the city and receive our supplies!"

Under the high pressure of thousands of people in the military sub-district, Major Araki chose to withdraw from Linyi City, or it should be said that he moved in, and Linyi City was liberated.

Liao Jianping did not intend to control Linyi City for a long time. His purpose was to teach the Japanese a lesson and to clear out the Japanese supplies stored in Linyi City. He did not make any other major changes.

Once the Japanese launch a strong counterattack, they will withdraw from Linyi City like the Araki Battalion. At this stage, the guerrilla column does not intend to control a big city like Linyi. It cannot be defended and will easily expose itself.

After Li Jiaxun led a large team into the city, he began to secretly transport the captured materials out, while the political department of the headquarters vigorously promoted the idea of ​​resistance and national salvation in the city, sowing the seeds of resistance;

The news that the guerrilla column had recaptured Linyi City caused quite a stir. Although Liao Jianping had handled it very low-key, the news could not stop the Chinese people's eager anticipation for victory after the loss of Wuhan. Not to mention the recovery of a big city, even the recovery of a small county would be a big deal.

In fact, it was impossible for him to keep a low profile. After annihilating a garrison regiment of the Japanese, the 12th Army stationed in Shandong would definitely attach great importance to it, and a large-scale counterattack was inevitable.

It is a joke to guerrilla without fighting. If you don't fight the Japanese, they will fight you. Guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines is more brutal than the frontal battlefield because the guerrilla column has run to the Japanese's backyard. How can the Japanese tolerate this?
"Bakayar, the guerrillas are getting more and more outrageous. The security problem in the rear has reached a point where it can't be delayed any longer. Ishii, that bastard, is unworthy of the trust of His Majesty."

In Jinan, at the 12th Army Headquarters, the first commander, Kamezo Otaka, cursed angrily, saying that losing a big city was a disgrace to him as the commander.

The 12th Army is a newly formed garrison army under the jurisdiction of the North China Front Army. Its headquarters is located in Jinan. Its main task is to be responsible for the public security in Shandong. This also reflects from one aspect the importance the Japanese attach to the public security in the rear.

12军下辖第5、21、114师团以及独立混成第5旅团以及骑兵集团，另外还有一些守备部队；
The 5th and 21st Divisions were stationed in Qingdao, the 114th and 5th Brigades and the Cavalry Group were stationed in Jinan, and the rest were some previous garrison troops, and the Ishii Regiment was one of them.

A small garrison regiment could not arouse the anger of the Taigao General, but Linyi City could. It was a first-class county with an important strategic location. It was a city that the 12th Army focused on defending and could not afford to lose.

Seeing that the commander was angry, the Chief of Staff Major General Kobayashi Asazaburo quickly explained:
"Commander, the main force of the Ishii Regiment is currently sweeping away the guerrillas in Tianjia Town. The city is short of troops, so the guerrillas took advantage of the situation."

Admiral Ogata was very dissatisfied with Major General Kobayashi's explanation and continued to curse:
"Is Colonel Ishii's head full of shit? He can't even see such an obvious trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain. He is no longer competent for the defense of Linyi City.
Hurry up and make him go back to Linyi City and clean up his mess!"

Major General Kobayashi looked embarrassed because he couldn't contact Colonel Ishii at all and didn't know where he was.

(End of this chapter)